Prosecution Witness Blames Center City Building Collapse On Contractor
By Paul Kurtz
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The architect who oversaw the doomed demolition of a building that collapsed onto a Salvation Army thrift store two years ago testified Thursday against the contractor accused of causing the deadly accident.
Plato Marinakos testified that he arranged the hiring of North Philadelphia demolition specialist Griffin Campbell based in part on the contractors low bid of $112,000.
He told the jury that the contract worked out between Campbell and the building's owners specified that the contractor would be responsible for the safety of workers and equipment on and adjacent to the site.
Marinakos testified his responsibility was intermittently checking the progress of the job.
In opening statements, defense attorney Bill Hobspon reportedly called Marinakos a liar and a weasel who took a $5,000 kickback from Campbell. He'll attempt to prove his claims during cross-examination Friday.