Surfside Condo Collapse Investigation

These experts, including consultant Dawn Lehman, helped the Herald’s forensic investigation

Abieyuwa Aghayere
Abieyuwa Aghayere

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Seven minutes to collapse

Witness accounts, visible damage and a computer model offer insights into how a pool deck cave-in spread, resulting in the catastrophic failure at Champlain Towers.


Dawn Lehman, a professor of engineering at the University of Washington, has acted as the Miami Herald’s consultant on the collapse of Surfside’s Champlain Towers South. She is among several practicing engineers and professors who have helped with the Herald’s forensic investigation.

A full list follows:

Dan Abrams is professor emeritus at the University of Illinois’ Grainger College of Engineering. He specializes in structural engineering.

Abieyuwa Aghayere is a professor at Drexel University’s College of Engineering. He researches structural design, including the analysis of structural failures.

Atorod Azizinamini is the director of the Moss School of Construction, Infrastructure and Sustainability at Florida International University. He specializes in the design and engineering of bridges.

David Lange is professor emeritus at the University of Illinois’s Grainger College of Engineering. His primary research focuses on construction materials.

Dawn Lehman is a professor at the University of Washington and a structural engineer. She is an expert in seismic design and the evaluation of concrete, steel and composite systems.

Khalid Mosalam is the director of the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center at the University of California Berkeley. He researches the assessment and rehabilitation of essential facilities such as bridges and electrical substations, and fields related to building energy efficiency and sustainability.

Shankar Nair is a structural engineer with more than 50 years of professional experience and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He is the former chairman of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

Nicholas Nehamas
Miami Herald
Nicholas Nehamas is an investigative reporter at the Miami Herald, where he was part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team that broke the Panama Papers in 2016. He and his Herald colleagues were also named Pulitzer finalists in 2019 for the series “Dirty Gold, Clean Cash.” In 2023, he shared in a Polk Award for coverage of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ migrant flights. He is the co-author of two books: “The Grifter’s Club: Trump, Mar-a-Lago, and the Selling of the Presidency” and “Dirty Gold: The Rise and Fall of an International Smuggling Ring.” He joined the Herald in 2014. Support my work with a digital subscription
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Seven minutes to collapse

Witness accounts, visible damage and a computer model offer insights into how a pool deck cave-in spread, resulting in the catastrophic failure at Champlain Towers.