New San Francisco Chronicle Article Reports Witnesses Say Balcony That Failed in Berkeley Had "Unusual Slope"

Award winning reporter Jason Van Derbeken in his latest article reporting on the Berkeley deck tragedy reports-

"Attorneys representing the family of a Berkeley balcony collapse victim have contacted prosecutors to alert them to witness accounts that the deck had a “seemingly unusual slope” before it gave way during a party."

Decks are required to have a minimum of 2 percent slope to them do water will drain of and away from the building. If the deck pitches much more than 3 or 4 percent, anyone standing on the deck will feel like they are being pitched forward and will have to make adjustments to their posture, but will remain uncomfortable. Imagine walking down a steep hill; it's not comfortable and you make adjustments in your gait and posture.

The same feeling will occur on a deck with a high degree of slope on it. To me this indicates a warning sign of problems in the deck. It wouldn't necessarily indicate that the deck was ready to fall, but I would, if I was inspecting a balcony with that condition, raise a red flag.

Read the Chronicles article here http://m.sfgate.com/crime/article/Berkeley-balcony-had-unusual-slope-before-6353451.php