Tragedy at Shuckers in Miami–Who’s at fault?

Shuckers Waterfront Grill has been a popular bar and grill in North Bay Village for years.  On Thursday night, during the first quarter of the Miami Heat finals game against the San Antonio Spurs, something went terribly wrong and the entire back porch of the Shutters’ restaurant came crashing into Biscayne Bay.  As many as 100 people were injured with several of the patrons suffering serious injuries.

Questions will most certainly arise following this tragedy as to who and what is responsible for the collapse of the deck.  The reports from the scene describe a restaurant that was so crowded that people who could not find a seat inside the packed bar and restaurant had to go outside to the deck to watch the game.  Miami-Dade County and the State of Florida have codes that limit the amount of people that can be inside an establishment such as Shuckers.  Further, the State and County have maintain building codes which govern the construction and maintenance of decks such as the one at Shuckers.  While there are no reports at this time as to what the official maximum capacity of the back patio is or what the condition was of the deck at the time of the collapse, certainly an investigation will be conducted to figure out what went wrong and whether the restaurant is to blame for this tragedy.

For more information on the Shuckers tragedy, you can click here, here, and here.

The Leto Law Firm represents victims of premises liability, medical malpractice, and other catastrophic injuries.