A scene worthy of a bad movie. While she was getting ready to go to work on Tuesday April 23, shortly before 8 a.m., the young woman passed into the living room of the apartment in the 18th arrondissement that she had just bought and into which she moved on March 1. “Passing by the sofa, I felt the ground sag and I felt myself go with the ground” specifies Louise.
Still in shock, she specifies “no longer know what I was seeing but I know that I saw large pieces of plaster, I felt like the whole building was collapsing.. The fall lasted three to four seconds and I thought the frame was falling on me.”
Reassured despite everything, Louise explains that “In the end, I found myself on my feet, with rubble up to my knees, in the apartment below, which fortunately was empty, and in which there was no furniture. At least in this room.“
A devastated apartment
“It felt like it was an explosion, something completely destroyed. We saw that it was in a Parisian apartment.” explains Louise. Stuck between pieces of parquet floors and pieces of beams, she can barely see anything due to the immense dust that is released.
She only owes her salvation to a worker who was working on scaffolding, the facade of the building being in the process of being renovated. The man manages to open the window with a push of his shoulder, gets the young woman out, gives her water and allows her to call for help with her cell phone before going down the ladder barefoot. ‘scaffolding.
Laurent Borde
“I don’t understand why I didn’t die this Tuesday”
“I don’t understand why I didn’t die this Tuesday morning” explains Louise. “When I fell, I had the reflex to put my hands on my head to possibly protect as much as possible, but I’m not sure that it would have helped much.” she adds with a little nervous laugh.
She admits to having had “very lucky that nothing fell on my head. I just have a few bruises and a few scratches on my legs.“Despite this, the young woman who sleeps little because of this incident, and who has to deal with her insurance which is currently refusing to compensate her, remains combative.
She is positive and claims to have “was extremely lucky. Everything else next to it is ridiculous. It will only be problems that will last for years and years. But these are just hardware issues.“
Safety first
The same day, an architect from the town hall came to the site to carry out the first observations. Safety is essential to avoid any drama. On the side of the town hall of the 18th arrondissement, Mario Gonzalez, housing assistant, specifies that “we don’t joke about that! If it is observed that a solidity risk could compromise the safety of people, measures are taken immediately.“
The deputy adds that “There was a collapse on a building that was not reported. Now that it has been reported, the investigation will be carried out quickly, and we will determine whether this building must be completely secured. We want to avoid collapses as unfortunately we have experienced in other cities, notably in Marseille.”
Laurent Borde
A building in bad shape
The walls of this building are all in poor condition. Each floor seems to be held by props of varying sizes. In certain parts of the walls, we can even see gaping holes. Only the facade facing the courtyard appears to be in perfect condition, the facade facing the street being in the process of being renovated.
No date has yet been given for the investigation by architectural services into the solidity of the building.. “It can range from two days to three weeks” recognizes Mario Gonzalez. While waiting for this very important result, Louise is temporarily staying with friends… for an indefinite period!
