Scaffolding Collapse Liability

A plaintiff sought damages against a defendant for injuries sustained due to the collapse of scaffolding erected by the defendant on the plaintiff's property, alleging that the scaffolding was not properly secured, and the lower courts ruled in favor of the plaintiff, finding the defendant responsible based on the presumed fault of the custodian of the structure under general tort law principles because the scaffolding, being inherently dangerous, caused the damage without any fault being definitively established by the defendant to escape liability. The high court upheld this decision, reasoning that the lower courts correctly applied the principle that the custodian of an object causing damage must demonstrate that the damage resulted from an external cause, an act of the victim, or a fortuitous event, none of which were established here, thus affirming the defendant's liability for the resulting harm.