Chateau Elan house collapse kills one, injures two
A gust of wind supposedly causes ‘pancake collapse’ in new subdivision home
A home being built near Shumard Oak Drive in Chateau Elan collapsed Saturday afternoon, killing one worker and sending two others to the hospital.
Northeast Georgia Medical Center pronounced 43-year-old Enrique Chimal of Marietta dead from internal injuries just over an hour after police and fire departments arrived at the collapse.
The two other workers were taken to Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville with what reports called “non-life-threatening injuries.”
In a media report, Lieutenant Tommy Rutledge of Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services said a strong gust of wind likely caused the two-story slab framework to “pancake” collapse.
Chimal was reportedly working within the house, while most others were outside, applying exterior sheeting. The two injured men were working on the roof, installing decking, the Gwinnett report states.
A Braselton Police Department report states that about 15 to 20 other workers were at the site during the incident.
BLW Homes, based in Braselton, was building the home as part of a new village phase on Green Mountain Drive, according to a police report. A Braselton official said the structure had been inspected for sewer tap and slab, but had yet to receive an inspection for framing.
That inspection would typically come when the builder believes the structure is ready, Braselton inspector Randolph Beatty explained.
Beatty, one of two inspectors with Braselton, says he often works in Chateau Elan, though he prefers not to speculate on possible causes for a collapse.
The National Weather Service in Peachtree City reported Saturday wind speeds in the nearby area at 18 m.p.h., with gusts up to 24 m.p.h.
