The public prosecutor canceled the prosecution of people accused of the collapse of a house in the center of Prague Crime | Pražská Drbna
The public prosecutor canceled the prosecution of both people, which the police accused in connection with the collapse of part of the reconstructed building in Prague’s Mikulandská street. The accident, in which three workers were injured in the summer of 2018, thus returned to the screening stage.
On the morning of July 17, 2018, two floors collapsed in the building in the center of Prague, where the primary school used to be. According to the intervening firefighters, the situation on the ground was confusing and it was not clear for a long time how many workers were in the building. In the end, it turned out that there were 45 people on the construction site at the time of the disaster.
The police originally investigated the case on suspicion of a negligent general threat. Finally, this summer, she said she accused two people of a less serious offense – negligent bodily harm.
“The prosecutor has upheld the complaint against the prosecution of the accused and has returned the case to the police for further investigation. That is all that can be said at this point.” wrote a spokesman for the Prague police Jan Rybanský.
According to an earlier statement from the police, the initial phase of the investigation was extended by waiting for expert opinions from the construction industry. The building in Mikulandská dates from the end of the 19th century and is not listed. The reconstruction carried out by Metrostav concerned the creation of a technological and workshop facility for UMPRUM students. The company said after the accident that no regulations regarding work safety had been violated.
Shortly after the collapse of part of the building, firefighters found two people under the rubble, the third wounded man did not need. All three workers were foreigners. They ended up in the hospital, and the condition of one of them was very serious and the rescuers had to put him to artificial sleep. Fearing that there might be more overwhelmed people under the rubble, firefighters continued their rescue operations until late at night. 120 of them took turns during the intervention. However, they did not find anyone else. The building was stabilized in cooperation with the Mining Rescue Service, a structural engineer and a climbing group.
There is a maximum risk of imprisonment for negligent personal injury at the basic rate, and a ban on activities can also be imposed. However, if the offender injured at least two people because he had grossly violated occupational safety laws, the upper limit of the rate is increased to three years. A general risk of negligence can lead to up to eight years in prison if they cause serious harm to an important duty arising from their employment.