The balcony on the fourth floor broke off around 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 13, on the street. Pod Dubom, 2. A 43-year-old man who was on the balcony is alive.
He was quickly picked up by an ambulance and taken to the hospital of St. Panteleimon of the First Territorial Medical Association of Lviv, where doctors provide all the necessary assistance. It is known that the man lived in this apartment. The apartment itself is privatized.
The municipal officials have already cordoned off the corresponding area, informed the deputy mayor for housing and communal matters, Iryna Marunyak, who immediately arrived at the scene.
It is known that the facade of this building was renovated before the opening of the “Forum” shopping center less than ten years ago. Specialists are examining the area and finding out the details of the incident.
The First Medical Association of Lviv said that the man who fell from the balcony last night was hospitalized in the most severe coma, i.e. unconscious. He received non-life-threatening injuries. The heart continued to work for some time, the doctors did everything possible to save the man. However, at 04:00 in the morning he died.
Now the site has been fenced off, utility workers are working on a tower to dismantle the balconies that were damaged by falling elements. It is known that the facade of this building was repaired before the opening of the shopping center “Forum” in 2014. All the causes of the incident are being investigated.
As the head of the Galician district administration Halyna Hladyak said, experts are working at the scene where the collapse occurred and are conducting investigations. All dangerous elements that could threaten to fall have been removed.
The district administration is in contact with the family of the deceased and is helping with the organization of the funeral.
“The house on the street Pod Dubom, 2, where the balcony collapsed, is a building built in 1896-1905. In 2014, when the Forum shopping center was opened, renovation work was carried out in this building together with the shopping center. The building was written off from the city’s balance sheet in 2020. The apartment itself was privatized in 2009. The manager there is LKP “Stary Lviv”. When the house was written off, an inspection was carried out. Everything was in satisfactory condition, the balcony did not need urgent repair, and there was no official conclusion that it was in an emergency state,” said Halyna Hladyak.
The district administration emphasizes that if the balcony has certain defects, residents are asked not to use it, but to contact the city’s “Hotline” or the balance keeper to order specialists and conduct an official inspection of the condition of the balcony.
“Now in the old part of the city, all balconies are being inspected – in particular, those that overlook the roadway and pedestrians. If a visual inspection shows that the balcony needs repair, we will order appropriate studies, remove the emergency elements and cover the balcony with a net,” the official added.
As the First Deputy Mayor of Lviv, Andriy Moskalenko, said, in Lviv they want to extend the program of co-financing the restoration of balconies to buildings that are not monuments. He noted that there are 380,000 balconies in the city. Of them, 372,000, which is 98%, are privately owned. Since the cost of repairing or restoring a balcony is significant, the city will also help residents of buildings located outside the boundaries of the historic area, who cannot pay for these works on their own.
“We actively work with residents, we emphasize to them that the balcony is an integral part of the apartment, is included in the square footage and is the property of the resident, which he uses. But we understand that not every owner has the opportunity to restore or repair a balcony. Because, for example, the restoration of a balcony in a landmark building can cost from UAH 100,000 to UAH 1 million. Therefore, we want to expand the restoration program – it will cover houses of various ages in all areas of the city. In the next few days, we will detail the amount to be paid by the owner of an apartment in a building that is not a landmark. And the rest of the funds will be paid by the city. That is, the cooperation will be similar to the one that currently exists between the city and the residents of the monument buildings,” explained Andriy Moskalenko.
He reminded that since 2008 in Lviv, within the framework of the “Municipal development and renewal of the old part of the city” program jointly with the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), residents of architectural monuments had the opportunity to restore their balcony under the conditions of co-financing. The amount of the contribution from the residents was only UAH 500 for one balcony. In general, since 2008, 246 balconies and 3 bay windows in buildings that are architectural monuments have been restored in Lviv within the framework of this program and with budget funds.
And in 2019, Lviv adopted the Program for co-financing the restoration of balconies in residential buildings that are monuments of architecture. The financial share of residents participating in this Program is UAH 10,000 for the restoration of one balcony. The rest of the cost of the works is paid by the city. Also in the area of responsibility of the city is the production and examination of design and estimate documentation, conducting tender purchases, concluding contracts with contractors. As part of this program, 5 balconies and two bay windows in a building on the street were restored in Lviv. Ste