Overview
- Prosecutors in Trier filed charges in July 2026 against an unnamed structural engineer for negligent homicide in two deaths, negligent bodily harm in eight cases, and endangering a building.
- The charging decision follows a Gutachten that found the hotel collapsed because old structural material failed after an upward extension in the 1980s overloaded the building.
- Visible cracks appeared before the collapse and the hotel owner had commissioned the engineer to inspect those cracks before an entire floor fell in on 6 August 2024.
- Authorities say work ordered under the engineer’s direction made the building unstable and that he failed to press for sufficient safety measures or to halt hotel operations, claims the defendant disputes.
- If the court admits the indictment, the case will move to trial and could prompt tighter scrutiny of professional duties, building alterations and liability rules for engineers in renovation projects.