Three Women Hurt When Bricks Crash Through Lululemon Roof

In what officials call a “freak accident”, three shoppers in a downtown Philadelphia Lululemon store were injured when bricks crashed through the roof.

The accident happened on Tuesday, January 27. The three

victims, all women, were trapped under fallen debris. Two of the women, both of whom suffered head injuries, managed to free themselves. Rescue workers freed the third. All the victims were rushed to hospital and released later that night.

The store, located in the heart of one of Philadelphia’s most popular shopping districts, suffered a seven metre gash in its roof after the bricks fell about 15 metres from an adjacent penthouse elevator shaft.

One witness described the scene inside the store as “very intense.”

A customer said “the lighting, the whole ceiling and the roof and the sidewall, everything just came crashing down.”

The building that the bricks fell from has only one tenant, a law office. “(I heard) a really loud crash that shook my desk” said an attorney working on the top floor of the building. When he looked out the window, he saw the gaping hole in the roof below and more bricks scattered around it.

The attorney described his building’s landlord as ‘great’. The landlord has a clean record of building maintenance and he has taken full responsibility for the accident.

But Lululemon may not be entirely without blame. Store employees say the roof leaked for weeks before the accident.

If nothing else, the story is a lesson to commercial building owners and homeowners alike. Your roof not only keeps you dry, but protects you and everyone else in your building from anything that may be flying around outside, including bricks.

In addition to weakening the roof, leaks can cause damage throughout your home or building.

If you’re not sure about the condition of your roof, you should have it inspected by a professional roofer who specializes in your type of roof.