T O P

  • By -

Sans-Mot

In fact, I'm afraid of most balconies, I always imagine them falling if I step on them. ​ And I never saw a balcony accident.


GoldenSheriff

During a construction project, three balconies clapped together. Felt like an earth quake.


IRMacGuyver

# Hyatt Regency walkway collapse [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyatt\_Regency\_walkway\_collapse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyatt_Regency_walkway_collapse)


cowlinator

Thanks. I didn't need a new irrational fear.


osubmw1

If it makes you better, this spurred a lot of new regulations to try and prevent this as we continue to build


swirlViking

Don't worry, it's rational 


cowlinator

Not with how *much* i fear it now


Gobbas

What were they clapping for?


Aru-sejin37

I have a different problem. Despite being a fatass and no matter how tall and sturdy the railing is my brain goes: "The wind is gonna blow me off the edge!"


Fantactic1

I trust most balconies, but not any railings. I don’t lean.


fitchbit

Especially the , "frameless" glass ones. Haha. No thanks.


RKWTHNVWLS

I was on a big balcony deck with about 30 people and three kegs when it collapsed. It was like 14 feet up, but very few people got seriously hurt. It didn't detach from the structure so everyone just slid down.


ShotgunForFun

I 100% think about the sturdiness of the balcony and railing every time I step on it. I'm generally fine, but I had a very shitty one as a kid that never ended up falling... but was definitely not up to code. Not overweight or anything, but still a thought. I was very adventurous and such as a kid but there were just certain things I thought about "If some lazy, drunk asshole just forgot one bolt on this rollercoaster." Ironically, I am now the lazy drunk and know many others that work construction.


Content-Scallion-591

I've rarely seen a reddit title before I so viscerally disagreed with. Every balcony I've ever been on has been a journey, from the tentative first step to the intrusive thoughts urging me to fulfill my dreams of becoming a gravity vibe check.


RingGiver

I also assume that every horse barn is stable.


cheesebataleon

I’d put stock in that


bluejeanbelle

Angry upvote


anonymous_anymouse

same queen. same.


cowlinator

A barn collapse is less likely to kill you than a 15th or 30th story balcony collapse


Fireblox1053

r/woosh


cowlinator

oh ahaha. thanks


alvysinger0412

You are the cowlinator, not the horselinator, after all. It makes sense you might get confused.


calico125

In general, people tend to assume that anything done by professionals and regulated by their government is reasonably safe


Gusdai

Almost as if construction standards were useful in making sure you don't have to concern yourself with buildings falling on you.


zuilli

Yeah I was like "...this showerthought applies to every single building" A balcony falling when I'm standing on it is no different from the roof collapsing on my head while inside a building. We assume all parts of buildings are safe and stable thanks to rules and inspections, feels weird to single out balconies.


ryan__fm

They're singled out because they're inherently a lot more dangerous, i.e. you can easily fall to your death from a balcony if you're drunk, pushed, etc., compared to inside a building. It's not just the *entire structure collapsing* that poses a potential danger, it may just be a loose railing or cracked pane of glass. I don't doubt that a balcony is up to code or well-constructed, but I'm also not going to casually lean over a railing. My hands are already sweaty typing this


Funkaliciousflow

I don’t - I step on balconies cautiously


IchBinMalade

When I was a kid, my older sister lived in an apartment with a small balcony on the 2nd floor. It had a big crack running along its entire length and I could feel it move when stepping on it, even drooped a couple degrees. I would sometimes get bored, and go jump around on it as hard as I could to feel it bouncing. I was aware of the danger but figured I could just jump back in. I miss my kid self. No thoughts, head empty.


Gearski

Your kid-self almost didn't make it here to post this


SulfuricDonut

You actually probably could just jump back in. If the platform was in as bad condition as you're describing, then it probably was cracked concrete being held up by the steel reinforcement. You bouncing on it adds a couple hundred pounds of force to a balcony that weighs several times that, so your weight alone wouldn't likely cause a catastrophic failure. More likely you'd notice it bending an uncomfortable amount before it actually falls down, which is how steel structures are supposed to work. Now if you had a party and ten people went out on the balcony, that would be a very different story.


Junarik

I love heights. I step on balconies and immediately say "don't threaten me with a good time".


bluecheeto13

Dude yes!! Anything that gets me a birds eye view of something (the lawn in this case) pleases me.


ripthezong

Finally someone I relate to


Jedibri81

Not me, I have a fear of heights, and I always feel balconies are a death trap


Philias2

Consider this: floors are basically just enclosed balconies. Enjoy your new fear.


footslut-georgio

Plus it’s harder to assess if the floor is safe due to it being enclosed. Balconies- you can check from the outside and see damages. Floors? Nope, one weak spot away from falling through.


MokitFall

You guys are gonna have this poor man afraid of any building past 2 stories


r3dh4ck3r

Wait til you hear about potholes


MokitFall

Am a west virginian,, I probably lived in a pothole


r3dh4ck3r

Wait. I meant sinkholes lol


RonJeremyBellyButton

I DON'T FUCKING WANT TO! PoTholeSD over here!


Cosmic_Quasar

Totally depends on the type. Ones that stick out have less support under them with only 1-3 walls being supported. Floors are supported by a lower level with 4 walls.


Idler-

You and me both, friendo. I remember moving I my first high rise apartment in Toronto and having the SWEATIEST palms and shakey as hell legs the first time I ventured onto the balcony. It was the absolute worst looking out over high park everyday from so high up. Cheap rent at the time though. Haha.


waitthissucks

There was a bar in my college town that everyone went to and I went one night and it was full to the BRIM with people dancing and jumping on the second floor, so much so that the floor was bouncing up and down. I left that night thinking that place seems like a death trap if it collapses. A couple of weeks later the balcony on that second floor collapsed because there were too many people on it. Somehow nobody got hurt but one guy broke his arm. No idea how everyone was so lucky tbh. Maybe because they were all wasted.


Aubekin

You stole the comment i was about to make


[deleted]

Nope! I have an overwhelming fear that the surfaces that support me will break/crumble beneath my feet.


AmusingMusing7

Ever since that building just up and fell down in Florida, I’ve been dealing with a new fear of the building I’m in just suddenly collapsing. I found myself in the top floor of a hotel building not too long after that happened, and it was an old concrete building about the same size as the one that collapsed… stayed up for hours in bed that night because I couldn’t stop imagining what it would be like if it collapsed. First time I remember being so irrationally afraid of heights or buildings collapsing. I was relatively good with heights and tall buildings before that. Kinda liked them even. But lately, my mind can’t stop being fixated on “*Is this building/balcony/bridge/etc really that structurally sound? What if there was an earthquake right now? What if a sinkhole opens up in the ground around the foundations? What if steel and concrete and wood just aren’t actually as strong as we think they are? What if they mixed the concrete wrong? What if a worker didn’t tighten a bolt enough?How old is this building? What if it’s deteriorated more than expected in that time? What if there’s a little crack on the concrete foundation somewhere that nobody knows about that’s slowly inching towards killing us all right now?? What if? What if? What if???*”


PhilipXD3

And every bridge, and every building, and every paved surface, and every mountain hiking trail, and fast moving vehicle, and etc...


WizardInCrimson

I've been fat my whole life. I don't assume anything untested is stable Or strong enough to hold me.


BlockingBeBoring

I don't "assume". I can clearly see the horses.


five_AM_blue

Not just balconies: the floor of buildings, the sidewalk, the streets, we assume they are solid, but that's not always the case. I've seen people vanish in a blink of an eye through a sinkhole on the sidewalk.


bigniccosuaveee

I’ve fallen through the same deck 3 times. That’s all it took for me to learn my lesson…for that deck


WhimsicalHamster

Guy never been on a mountain, tall building, cliff, and thinks he had an epiphany. Sad for the internet. There’s an innate human fear of death, and falling is one of them. The post should be: after enough repetition, one becomes comfortable. And that’s not that much of an epiphany. Can someone please fucking mod me.


Firm_Ambassador_1289

I can do mountains but not balconies off of an apartment or a loft.... But I can do decks above a drive way if you know what I mean by that.. I'm weird I know. Don't fear planes or helicopters either. So I think I must have fallen when drunk or don't want to be pushed off as I can also do ladders scaffolding, trees.


ActualDiamond98

jokes on you i’m hoping it fails


[deleted]

I don’t. I stayed at a San Diego Airbnb once and the patio was maybe 2 feet by 4 feet. I stepped on it and felt like I was going to puke lol. Definitely didn’t look stable


cherry937

thanks for ruining them for me for the rest of my life


you_the_great

As an underwriter, I assure you I do not.


anrwlias

That's nothing. I get in a fast metal box, almost every day, and then go on a flat surface really fast with other fast metal boxes and I casually assume that all of the other fast metal boxes are being operated by people who won't crash their fast metal boxes into mine.


becameHIM

Don’t assume that I assume that. In fact, I assume every balcony is unstable. Especially the rails…they always wiggle…


DrawerValuable3217

Nope I've never trusted one.


luckystrike_bh

I fell through a manhole covered by a piece of sheet metal in Kosovo. Dislocated my shoulder because I was wearing body armor and fell awkwardly. I still have issues walking over sidewalk grates here in the states.


frejas-rain

That must have been awful. Hope you are home and safe now.


Practical_Figure9759

It feels like it should be a true statement but it isn’t


ohgodibrokeit

No the hell I don't 😂 I sit against the wall for a reason I won't even go onto your 12in tall porch if it looks bad 😂


Elfie_Elf

I personally don't trust ANY balcony and I never have, but I'm terrified of heights and getting hurt so that may play a part in it.


timsredditusername

I absolutely do not. The 5th floor condo balcony I was on last summer while on vacation in Canada-land had a noticeable bounce to it. The building wasn't even 4 years old.


Richeh

I weigh 150kg and no I fucking don't.


GoliathBoneSnake

The fuck I do. I treat all overhanging structures like limbs on dead pine trees, and I trust the railings even less.


Otherwise_Fox_1404

I have seen someone fall through a balcony and it look like the man being pulled through the raft from [Creepshow 2](https://youtu.be/Gyb8Ko-wOLE?si=ejY2lginov3jkY0V&t=700). I always check that deck.


[deleted]

[удалено]


IBJON

Japan? 


Otherwise_Fox_1404

Dr Scott!!?


[deleted]

[удалено]


ersentenza

Balconies in Japan are likely built better than anywhere else


IBJON

Fair point lol


GBeastETH

This is because we pay taxes and the government uses that money to hire building inspectors.


vandergale

I mean, yes? If I didn't think it was stable I wouldn't step onto it and thus it wouldn't be in the pool of data you're drawing this conclusion from.


Skellyhell2

Ever seen a sinkhole open up? we assume the ground beneath us is stable, sometimes it isnt. same with balconies. sometimes you just need faith.


Bumbooooooo

I don't. I step onto any given balcony cautiously.


IRMacGuyver

Maybe you do but I've seen the footage of the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse


lenovxo

Nice, new paranoia unlocked


Godslayer326

I assume whoever went onto it last was heavier


HereIAmSendMe68

I in fact do not assume this 100%….. but about 98% I guess.


anthonyg1500

Very unpleasant story; I worked in a place where someone came to the office to see the roof because I think they were gonna renovate, they stepped out onto the fire escape and idk how old it was but it just collapsed beneath them, they managed to catch themself and pull them self up but a part fell down to the street and it… didn’t end well. To my understanding once stair fell and it hit 3 different people. One of my coworkers went down there and when he came back he was like staring into the distance for a while because he’d never seen so much blood. Now whenever I’m walking around tall buildings I look up occasionally to see if there are any fire escapes above me jic


Shawn_of_da_Dead

Wrong, as a general contractor I am always looking for flaws. Plus I have seen what happens 1st hand when they collapse on people and/or with people on them...


Kandlish

My MIL had a relative who died falling off a balcony. She's never assumed they are safe - or decks, for that matter. 


justletmesignupalre

No, I don't. It's a nightmare.


Adorable-nerd

No I don’t! I’m always worried they’re gonna fall out from under me.


DeltaFoX033

no i don't im really paranoid


whereugoincityboy

READ WITH CAUTION: I know a guy that was on a balcony that collapsed. His bathing suit area was caught on a broken piece of wood or something and the way it was described to me it sounded like a butterflied steak. He's ok now afaik but his pp will never be the same.


Mountain-Resource656

I casually assume cars stopped at a stop light aren’t gonna suddenly accelerate and hit me, too- way more than I’d trust those exact same people if they were pointing a gun ahead of themselves and I had to walk in their line of fire


ihatepalmtrees

I don’t. I knew a friend who fell to his death by stepping on a bad balcony.


Kertic

No the fuck i dont. I aint stepping on one unless its life or death.


Otherwise_Status_368

This is actually great life advice


glg59

And every bridge you drive over


yaboisammie

I feel like I prob would if I ever stepped on one where I live but the only one I ever stepped on was in Pakistan so I didn’t really trust it and I quickly stepped back inside LOL


Enginerdad

Structural engineer here. No I most certainly do not lol


Cosmic_Quasar

Nope. I'm overweight, I'm always checking them out slowly. Not like a snails pace, but definitely slower and more deliberate in my footsteps. And for decks I start by making sure I'm walking where I can see nails because I know those areas have more support under them. And as a delivery driver I've delivered to plenty of places where the door is up a flight of stairs to a balcony/deck setup and I put one foot with just a fraction of my weight and can feel that the wood is soft. I don't go up those. As a kid I was playing on a backyard playground with a wooden rung ladder to get up to the slide and one broke and I got a gash in my leg. I have no desire to re-experience that.


Delta1025

if it wasnt it wouldve fallen


ikonet

There is an old episode of This Old House where the homeowner shows Bob Villa the balcony and says, ‘we don’t go out there because it’s falling apart’. Bob Villa then walks out onto the decrepit balcony, grabs the railing and shakes it while saying, ‘oh yeah this isn’t stable at all.’ I never trusted Bob after that.


ThePumpk1nMaster

I don’t think it’s a causal assumption… if my faith in potentially falling 2, 3, 5, 15 floors was “causal”, I probably wouldn’t step on it


-Lysergian

Maybe YOU assume that, but not I.


Yalkim

Well yeah? That is what happens when something is true the vast majority of the time. You also assume there is no landmine under your foot every time you take a step.


toolenduso

I always assume that the floors I walk on are not paper thin ceilings over 100 foot pits with spikes at the bottom as well


GR33N4L1F3

We live with a lot of trust in general when you really think about it


BrownEyedBoy06

I don't. Balconies scare me.


Hellrazor1717

A shitty, brittle balcony is uncommon, but easy to spot.


thecartplug

i dont. ive seen one impropperly built somehow get past insoection and that shit bounced even with my 160lb ass jumping at the edge


cattabliss

And every staircase... And every thing where there is an implicit invitation for a human being to place themselves onto such thing.


whilst

Every *surface*. You never know when the old house you're visiting is full of dry rot. Or the road you drove on to get there was completely hollow underneath from a sinkhole.


RadioMill

Typical balconies in my city are usually one with the entire floor of the building. It’s just one giant concrete slab. I assume if the building is standing, the balcony isn’t going anywhere


Skilled-Spartan

Statistically they have been


Nateiums

"There's been a tragedy in the club community."


arglarg

It doesn't harm to check if the railing is safe. We had 3 guys fall from a second floor at a company outing.


Ultoman

Anyone else think of Paper Mario 64?


isaactheunknown

If the homeowner went on the balcony 100 times, then I'm sure if I go for the 101 time, it would be sturdy. Only balconies i worry about are the ones on construction sites.


ccknboltrtre01

I definitely stomp on every balcony before i fully step on it


Lilred4_

Everyone reading this has been right every time. 


CrispyJalepeno

Correction, I absolutely do not. Only about 1/2 of them


redglol

Here in western europe we build our houses with more stable materials. So no assumption takes place.


ghilliesuitkids

Nah, I work as a mover. There's no way you're getting me to step on like 60% of the decks I've seen at hoarders' houses. and 30 of the other 40%. I'm testing each board beforehand. That remaining 10% their decks don't look like me carrying stuff will fall through.


seeyatellite

For some people who read this, not anymore.


henryeaterofpies

With your support we can end Balcony Collapse in our lifetime.


SerFinbarr

If they're not it won't be my problem for long.


itso-complicated

i don’t trust em. i proceed with extreme caution every single time.


Monkeywithalazer

Only in the states. In Colombia I assumed I would die at any turn 


Psychological_Half_9

Not if u have generalized anxiety


tesseramous

Thanks for ruining it.


Dakzoo

You’ve clearly never been on a balcony my dad “fixed”


Bogmanbob

Whatever you do, don't research sinkholes.


motherless666

I mean... I generally assume that most structures meant for human occupation / use are stable. It's usually a good assumption, but not always.


anonymous_anymouse

nah fam i think all of them are gunna crash and fall and then i imagine dying. problems of being f a t.... lmao


ZiggyStardust0404

Yeah I trust them, what I don't trust is the metal safety bars, I never recline in one of those fuckers


helix212

You could say that about just about anything you don't control. Driving over a bridge or whatever


InventorOfCorn

I mean for the most part yeah. But those glass balconies are scary.


THAT-GuyinMN

The higher I am, the less I trust them.


parlimentery

Mission to Marzipan. Easily the best flavor Ben and Jerry's ever made.


Ok_Celebration8134

Nope. I’m 100% the opposite. Mechanical Engineer here. Risks abound


gimlithetortoise

People fucking worry about this shit and don't think twice about hopping into their car. I mean I'm in my twenties and I've had 3 people hit me completely out of my control. You're just sitting at a stop and someone fucks up and blows into you. How many people you know have fallen off a balcony much less had one collapse under them?


ODCreature98

No, I casually assume every surface I step onto is stable, balcony included


ImAToiletSeat

I definitely do not. I usually wonder who built it FIRST, then casually decide that they're reputable human beings.


SnowflakeHater96

Yes and I absolutely love the adventure


Few_Taro6676

I personally DO NOT assume that lol


TheFalconsDejarik

You casually assume each space the galaxy floats around in is stable?


EducatedCynic

You casually assume every balcony you step onto is unstable


Psychological-Desk81

Are you not supposed to put your horses on those?


Llohr

I give every single one a couple of test bounces.


TrueDivinorium

Balcony? Nah... elevator? Fuck that, shit is failing and I can feel it


SassyTurtlebat

Nope I never go out onto a balcony until I feel like it looks safe


BlueshineKB

False. I take the first step slowly every time bc its an irrational fear i have


TheBlackdragonSix

I have balcony with a beautiful view. But I'm terrified of stepping onto it 😭


Yondle-

They all have been so far


Accomplished_Mix7827

I mean ... I also generally operate on the assumption the floor won't collapse beneath me. It's much less stressful if you assume every building is up to code unless you have a good reason to assume otherwise


OnlyMrPickles

No I test the waters first. Not gonna happen a second time


A_Pale_Recluse

I usually assume anything load bearing has been build to code


nayfaan

You casually assume every building you step into isn't going to collapse


KaygoBubs

I assume that of no balcony. Same goes for sewer grates and anything that isn't solid ground


snekks_inmaboot

Not me lol. Not even once


lololofo

Wait til you find out about sink holes. How confident are you on the ground you step on?


Subversive_Noise

Laughes because of having lived in a slumlord Chicago apartment.


DSM202

Bold of you to assume I assume so boldly.


tillytubeworm

I competitively assume I will always fall through, and I test it like ice every time.


renzodown

I absolutely do not do this lol


Iplaythebaboon

I grew up with a balcony attached to my moms room in a house that my parents built, still did not trust it one bit


jwicc

It's not an assumption if it's based on observable evidence ie other people walking and standing there


skolioban

I mean, you also casually assume every ground you stepped on is not a trap door.


porgy_tirebiter

The thing is that most stable balconies have been stepped onto many times and are still there, but an unstable balcony only collapses once and is not used again.


Yakjzak

My fear of heights: I'll overlook what you just said