More Than 100 Cars Are Stuck In A Collapsed Pennsylvania Car Park

Over 100 car owners are in a state of limbo over the fate of their vehicles, after a hospital’s multistorey parking garage partially collapsed in Jacksonville, Pennsylvania last week. Thankfully, there are no reports of injuries, but with the car park itself and two surrounding buildings - an office and a residential structure - remaining condemned, the cars aren’t going anywhere.

The partial collapse happened last Wednesday (13 September), and there have been no further updates since Thursday when News4Jax were given the simple statement "The investigation is ongoing and we have no additional details to provide,” from the hospital. The outlet reported on Friday that city officials were discussing whether changes to inspection rules for parking structures were necessary in light of the incident.

In helicopter footage, several cars - including a Tesla Model S - are shown to have suffered significant damage, with some vehicles left with partially buried by huge chunks of concrete. However, as only one relatively small section of the car park collapsed, the vast majority of the 111 vehicles stuck there should be undamaged. But regardless, they'll remain trapped for an as-yet underdetermined period of time.

On Friday, News4Jax quoted several hospital workers who felt unsafe parking their cars in the surviving structures.

The builders of the car park, Batson-Cook, constructed another parking garage which collapsed two years ago, according to News4Jax. In a statement, the firm highlighted the responsibility of the owners of such buildings when it comes to maintenance. It said:

"Batson-Cook has not worked on this project since 2007 and, as Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Chief Keith Powers has already stated, the inspection and continued upkeep of the parking structure are the responsibilty of the owner. We are an will continue to assist with this investigation. We stand by our work and our safety practices.”