BMW shop in East Van building where roof collapsed sues owner, roofer

The dramatic collapse last summer of an East Vancouver parking lot on a roof, which killed a pastry shop employee and forced the rescue of seven other people, is the subject of a civil lawsuit in Vancouver Supreme Court.

Bimmer Haus Enteprises, a BMW sale and repair shop at Lougheed Highway between Rupert Street and Boundary Road, has filed a civil claim against the building’s owner, Gizella Pastry, and a U.S.-based roofing contractor, CentiMark, and the driver of a Bobcat, identified only as John Doe.

“John Doe, on the instructions of CentiMark Ltd., and with the knowledge and consent of the owner, was operating a Bobcat on the roof of the property to remove soil and dirt from the property,” alleges the notice of intention to sue.

The building, built into the side of the hill, had a parking area on part of the roof.

The driver had removed “almost 200 tons” of dirt and soil from the roof and had piled in up on side of the roof, it alleged. “The weight of the soil and dirt on the roof caused the roof to collapse.”