Jury Hears From Victims, Excavator Operator In Salvation Army Building Collapse Trial
By Mike Dougherty
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Dramatic testimony today in the trial of a contractor charged in the deadly Salvation Army building collapse from 2013.
The morning began with the tear-jerking tale of a survivor who was trapped in the rubble for 14 hours before being rescued.
Then, excavator operator Sean Benschop took the stand. He's already pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing for his role in the catastrophe.
He told the jury he tried numerous times to warn contractor Griffin Campbell about the dangers of knocking down the building adjacent to the Salvation Army store.
Those concerns, he says, were ignored and he reluctantly proceeded with the work, even though he knew the dangers because he wanted to get paid.
Defense attorney Bill Hobson repeatedly asked Benschop about his daily marijuana usage and hammered home the point that Benschop is licensed in demolition and should have known better than to use machinery to get the job done.