Victim in Fatal 2015 Berkeley Balcony Collapse Dies After Battling Injuries
BERKELEY (BCN) -- One of the people injured in the fatal 2015 Berkeley balcony collapse that killed multiple Irish students attending a party has died, University College Dublin officials in Ireland said.
Aoife Beary, 27, died Saturday following a battle with injuries she suffered in a fourth-floor apartment balcony that collapsed on June 16, 2015, on Kittredge Street, killing six. She was among other students who were severely injured in the collapse.
Seven, including Beary, were severely injured in the tragedy very early in the morning during a party at the Library Gardens apartment complex.
"Aoife dealt with the devastating impact of her accident with great bravery and fortitude," Joe Carthy, dean of science at University College Dublin, said in a statement. "She was awarded a BSc in Pharmacology in 2016. She will be greatly missed by her family and wide circle of friends.
"I know Aoife's passing will rekindle memories of the six students who died in the Berkeley accident in June 2015 and our thoughts are with their families too," Carthy said.
Five of the people who died were from Ireland and one was from Rohnert Park.
The company that built Library Gardens, Segue Construction of Pleasanton, had a history of questionable work, according to then-state Sen. Jerry Hill's office. The company had settled construction defect cases totaling $26.5 million, Hill's office said.
Prosecutors with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office declined to file criminal charges against Segue Construction. The cause of the collapse was water intrusion that rotted the support beams in the deck of the balcony.
Segue Construction had its license revoked in May 2017 by the California Contractors State License Board, according to an order issued in a settlement with the board. Company officials are barred from applying for a reissuance or reinstatement of the license for five years, according to the board.
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