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On
February 17, 1996, 32 year old Mary Ellen Slane of San Rafael was killed
and 14 others were injured when the deck at 2003 Franklin Street
busted, sending the doomed party guests crashing 4 stories to the ground.
A going away party for Troy Winkles was in full swing when the deck collapsed
at about 8:30 p.m. In addition to Slane's death, the horror caused a crushed
face, fractured pelvis, leg fractures, bruises, abrasions, and other massive
head injuries to the guests. City Officials determined the collapse occurred
because landlord Randall Nathan moved an important support beam without
required permits. The case fueled antipathy against landlords in the City
and caused a sensation when District Attorney Terrence
Hallinan became the first D.A. in 50 years to personally try a case
against a criminal defendant in San Francisco. Despite Hallinan's efforts,
Randall was convicted only of two misdemeanor charges of failing to maintain
a building in a safe condition and failing to obtain a permit for remodeling
work. The jury deadlocked on felony charges of involuntary manslaughter
in Slane's death. Nathan was sentenced to 200 hours of community service
and a $1,000 fine which was later reduced to $500 when the conviction for
failing to maintain a building in a safe condition was overturned because
of technicality related to a court filing date. Injured guests and Slane's
widower sued Randall and were awarded $12 million by a judge, one of the
highest awards ever given in San Francisco for landlord negligence. A rebuilt
deck can be seen from the neighboring historic museum, Haas-Lilienthal
House. Haas-Lilienthal gardener Mark Niclas witnessed the deadly deck
collapse. |