For more than three hours Thursday, Sean Benschop sat
across from his former boss and talked about the day that forever changed their
lives.
June 5, 2013. The day a 30-foot, freestanding wall
collapsed and crushed a neighboring Salvation Army Thrift Store. The day six
people lost their lives.
General contractor Griffin Campbell, on trial for
third-degree murder charges, hired Benschop to help demolish a four-story
building at 22nd and Market streets in Center City Philadelphia.
On the day of the collapse, Benschop said he was chipping
away at the building's eastern wall with an excavator when the wall caved in
instead of out.
"It hit the joists and the building collapsed,"
he said.
Benschop, who had done demolition work long before he
touched the "Hoagie City" building, testified that he knew it was
dangerous to use heavy machinery to take down a building.
The dilemma, he said, was that he needed money – for
bills and to feed his family.
"It's a no-win situation," said Benschop.
Still, he said he should have walked away from the job
before the collapse. Instead, he's facing up to 20 years in prison after
pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges in July.
Benschop will be sentenced at the end of Campbell's
trial.
"I'm in prison. I lost my family. I lost my job.
Lost everything," said Benschop.
Benschop testified against Campbell as part of his plea
deal.
On several occasions, Benschop said he shared concerns
with Campbell about the building's western wall, the one that pancaked onto the
Salvation Army store below.
Each time, Campbell told him his workers would take care
of it and that Benschop should focus on taking down the building's eastern
wall, he said.
"I trust what he said," said Benschop.
Before he came onsite, Benschop said, Griffin asked him
to get estimates on renting a high-reach to take down the wall by hand, but
that equipment was never used.
Immediately after the collapse, Campbell asked Benschop
if he had insurance. Benschop asked him the same.
Ten minutes later Benschop was en route to the hospital.
Two days later, he was arrested.
Bill Hobson, Campbell's attorney, repeatedly questioned
Benschop about his daily habit of smoking marijuana, including the morning of
the collapse.
Benschop said he smoked every morning and night to help
spur his appetite and that it never impacted his work abilities. He said a
medical condition causes him to not have an appetite.
It's a fact he said he hid from the city, Campbell and
police officers who interviewed him the day of the collapse.
Testimony from collapse victim
Earlier Thursday, the jury heard painful testimony from
Mariya Plekan, who lost both of her legs after being trapped in the rubble for
nearly 14 hours.
Plekan rode the bus to the thrift store that day during a
break from caring for her deceased husband's elderly relatives.
She often went on Wednesdays – family day – when items in
the popular store were discounted.
Plekan said she was preparing to leave when the wall
collapsed.
"I heard a cracking sound ... and I saw steel beam
come down," said Plekan through a Ukrainian translator.
Hour after hour, Plekan sat packed in a space so tight
she couldn't reach into her pocket to answer her ringing cell phone.
At one point, she said she heard someone directly above
her. She screamed for help to no avail.
"I lost hope at that point that anyone would ever
find me," said Plekan, who wept openly throughout her testimony.
Eventually, the site above her seemed quiet. She worried
she'd be left behind.
"Then I heard the breathing of the dog," said
Plekan.
With what little energy she had left, she once more
yelled for help.
"There's a living person here," someone
responded.
Rescuers rushed to Plekan and, fairly quickly, she was
removed from the rubble and loaded into an ambulance.
In the two years since, Plekan said she's had more than
30 surgeries, including having her legs amputated. She's in pain much of the
time.
"It's very, very difficult for me. I still have
trouble breathing. I still need a lot of rehabilitation," said Plekan.
"There's very little I can do for myself."
Plekan now lives in a nursing home. Her children have
moved from Ukraine to help her.
The commonwealth is expected to wrap up its case Friday.
Hobson is expected to start his on Tuesday following the
Columbus Day holiday. And Campbell is expected to testify.
Source: NewsWorks
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