Contractor wants to join investigators in balcony inspection

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- A general contractor who was in charge of constructing a balcony that collapsed in Berkeley, California, and killed six people is seeking a court order to be present when investigators examine the wreckage.

Segue Construction asked for the court order Tuesday several days after a prosecutor announced a criminal investigation was underway in the collapse that injured seven other people.

Segue says in a court filing that it's concerned evidence may have been damaged when officials removed the balcony and another one below it a few hours after the June 16 collapse.

Meanwhile, documents released by the city of Berkeley show that a private structural inspector checked the balcony last August. He marked that the balcony supports, rails and soffits were in "good condition."The inspection only uncovered broken window seals and cracked floors.

The records do not specify just how detailed the inspection was. Berkeley mayor Tom Bates suspects it was not thorough enough.

"Obviously, anything that determined there wasn't a problem is not a good report because there was certainly dry rot and all kinds of problems on those balconies, for sure," he said.

These latest documents also show that Library Gardens' managers failed to comply with city ordinances that require all apartments to go through a safety checklist every year.

Instead of those forms which need to be submitted to the city, the buildings management firm Greystar handed over copies of a walkthrough inspection done in September.

The checklist was not as thorough as the city required, nor was the inspection done on every apartment unit, which the city also demands.

Because of the inadequacy of the walkthrough inspection, city engineers are giving Greystar management another chance to comply with the ordinance.

"We're looking at issues from wiring and appliances to the staircases to the stairways, so there are a number of things the landlord is required to look into on their property," said Berkeley's spokesperson Matthai Chakko.

Greystar management has been given until Thursday to provide the city with the new inspection report.

Phone calls to Greystar were not returned.

The Associated Press contributed to the story.