Deadly Folsom Stairway Collapse Comes Less Than A Year After Similar Incident

FOLSOM (CBS13) — A man has died after a stairway collapsed at a Folsom apartment complex, and CBS13 has learned all of the stairways at the complex were under repair.

"They said they were going to repair all the stairs so that this would not happen again," said resident Marissa Hoyt.

That was last year, she says, when a stairway collapsed at the complex where she lives on the third floor. Nobody was hurt in that incident.

But now, nearly a year later, police say another stairway gave way, ending in the tragic death of a 27-year-old man. He wasn't a resident of the complex, but a visitor.

"It could've been anyone; it could've myself; it could've been myself and it was a young man," she said.

Larry Kamer, a spokesman for The Legends At Willow Creek Apartments, confirmed work was underway to fix every stairway at the complex, including the one that gave way.

"I don't know if it was currently being worked on, but it was definitely one of those stairwells that was on the list i think it was high on the list," he said.

He says some stairways were propped up in the short term, and that the issue had to do with where the stairs were attached to the sides of buildings.

"It's fair to say the company was aware of a problem and was in the process of fixing it," he said.

But why did it take so long for them to be fixed?

"This is something that is very top of mind for us and we're trying to figure that out," he said. "We had been assured that the work was being done in a manner that was appropriate for the problem that they saw."

The complex promises the rest of the repairs will be rushed.

Hoyt says it the repairs had been done right away, the tragedy could have been avoided.

"These stairs are clearly old they're crumbling literally and we're talking about people's lives," she said. "And it's just heartbreaking."

The complex is owned by a San Francisco-based company that owns and operates 10,000 apartment units across the state. Though there was initially some question, the complex says it does have permits for the work, that is continuing in the wake of the tragedy.