Builder sued by man who alleges part of unfinished garage fell on him

A man is suing Ryland Homes of Texas after part of an unfinished garage allegedly collapsed onto him. 

Michael Mortensen filed a lawsuit against Ryland Homes of Texas Inc. on Aug. 18 in Galveston County District Court. 

According to the complaint, Mortensen was asked to deliver walls to a Ryland Homes construction site June 24. He says a Ryland carpenter asked for assistance bringing the walls into the garage, which was under construction. As he entered the garage area, Mortensen says a portion of the second floor of the construction project collapsed and fell on him. He says he injured his hip and lower back as a result.

Mortensen accuses Ryland Homes of negligence and gross negligence for allegedly failing to properly reinforce the second-floor beam system, failing to maintain a safe construction site and failing to give adequate warning about the potential dangers. He says the defendant "acted with flagrant and malicious disregard" of his health and safety. 

Mortensen is seeking more than $1 million in damages for medical costs, physical pain, mental anguish, lost earnings, impairment and disfigurement. 

Attorneys Michael E. Pierce and M. Paul Skrabanek, of Houston, represent Mortensen. They request a jury trial. 

Galveston County District Court case number: CV-0072628.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at Galveston County District Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note that a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and it represents only one side of the story.