Roanoke Co., VA - Engineers say they know what caused a retaining wall to fail over the weekend near 220, leaving quite a mess on a high profile development being built near Tanglewood Mall.

It happened Saturday soon after heavy rains hit the area.

Luckily no one was hurt, but there are a lot of people wondering what exactly happened.

The engineer who designed the wall at the South Peak development says the partial collapse was apparently an issue that had been developing unbeknownst to anyone, until about 800-square feet of that wall gave way.

The primary factor, according to an engineer, was an improperly installed drainage pipe that has been seeping water for some time.

The problem caused the wall to separate from the geo-grid that holds the wall in place.

That separation was exasperated significantly during Saturday's downpour.

"There was a separation between the curb and gutter and the asphalt pavement that occurred, I believe, after the initial movement of the wall and opened a gap allowing more water to get in there," explained GeoTech Engineer Mike Circeo.

"Things like this happen. Especially when you are dealing with a project of this size and complexity of this one. We're dealing with it the right. While we fix it we will continue to develop the other aspects," said South Peak Developer Hunter Smith.

The rest of the wall has been inspected, ABC 13 has learned, and there are no other issues from what engineers can tell.

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Engineer: Improperly Installed Pipe Caused Wall Collapse in Roanoke Co.

ROANOKE COUNTY, VA -

(story has been updated with information from Roanoke County and the project engineer)

We are continuing to follow the South Peak Development wall collapse that happened Saturday, shutting down traffic along US 220. No one was hurt.

The project engineer Mike Circeo with Circeo Geotech says the wall collapsed because of a storm water pipe that was leaking. The water forced the wall out but he says it's more of a cosmetic issue than a structural one.

"The wall itself I think is designed to withstand a certain amount of water that seeps in behind it but when you have a concentrated flow like this there really isn't any way to plan for that. You just need to make sure that work is being done properly so they don't continue to lose water outside the pipe," said Circeo who has been with the project since the beginning.

Engineers, developers and inspectors from Roanoke County and the project have been at the site since Saturday afternoon when this all happened.

Right now Roanoke County tells us they are waiting for a written report from the engineer but says drivers shouldn't worry.

"Certainly it looks like a safety issue but this right now is an active site, meaning construction will continue to take place. that issue it's just the cost of doing business it can be repaired," said Tarek Moneir, the Roanoke County Deputy Director of Development Services who oversees engineering for the county.

Cireco says there could be other pipes affected. There are eight retaining walls and storm pipes between most of the walls. Each pipe will have to be inspected. Cireco says the only way to do that is by a camera. The pipes are all buried six to twenty feet in the ground. If other pipes need to be repaired they can put in a pipe liner instead of digging up the wall.

"The site's been inspected both by the public and private sector. The walls have been engineered. It's an unfortunate event, things like this happen but the only thing that you can do is fix it and move on," said Hunter Smith, the president of Smith/Packett, the South Peak developer.

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South Peak wall collapse caused by storm water pipe

A teenager is in an induced coma after allegedly being punched outside a McDonald's in Sydney's west.

Alexander McEwen, 19, and his brother Lance McEwen Henderson, 21, were standing on top of a one-metre-tall retaining wall at the fast food restaurant's car park in Penrith when they were allegedly approached by a man about 1.30am (AEDT) on Saturday.

Police say the man punched both brothers, knocking the younger McEwen over the wall where he struck his head and lost consciousness.

The teen was rushed to Nepean Hospital where he is in critical condition with a fractured skull and damage to his spine.

His brother Lance suffered injuries to his face, including a cut lip.

Their alleged attacker, Corey Beard, 21, appeared at Parramatta court on Sunday where he was granted conditional bail.

Beard was charged with offences including recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm to the teenager as well as assaulting his brother.

He was also charged with possessing steroids after police allegedly found 13 vials of the drug during a search of his home on Saturday.

During the bail application, Sergeant Belinda Laughton told the court the alleged assault had been captured on CCTV and there was a strong prosecution case.

But the Legal Aid lawyer representing Beard said he had told police that he had acted in self-defence.

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Teen critical after punch in Sydney

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Post-Tribune Staff Report January 8, 2014 1:50PM

Emergency personnel look over a Mercury Grand Marquis driven by Shelby Street, 56, of Portage, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014. Street was merging onto eastbound Interstate-80/94 from southbound Interstate 65 when she lost control on the icy roads. The Mercury went off the road to the right and flipped over the retaining wall landing on its roof. Street had to be extricated and was taken to St. mary Medical Center, Hobart, with non-life threatening injuries to her face, police said. | Indiana State Police photo.

storyidforme: 60345685 tmspicid: 21880261 fileheaderid: 10323638

Updated: January 8, 2014 6:25PM

A car going too fast for existing road conditions lost control and flipped over a Borman Expressway retaining wall and onto its roof, according to the Indiana State Police.

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Tim Grayson revealed that at approximately 10:05 a.m., Wednesday, a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis driven by Shelby Street, 56, of Portage, had just gotten off the Interstate 65 southbound and was merging onto eastbound I-80 in the right lane when she lost control on the icy roads, police said. The Mercury went off the road to the right and flipped over the retaining wall, landing on its roof.

Street, who was wearing her seat belt, had to be extricated from her car. She was taken to Saint Mary Medical Center in Hobart with non-life threatening injuries to her face, police said.

The Mercury was a total loss.

A short time later, a tractor trailer driver going too fast for road conditions

lost control and wrapped his vehicle around an informational sign that spans the interstate.

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Car flips on Borman ramp; driver escapes serious injuries ...

Sheldon Williams, Staff Reporter

The livelihood of several skilled residents from Dallas Castle in rural St Andrew has been boosted following their contribution to the construction of a retaining wall in their community.

The erected wall and widened road have been considered a saving grace for commerce and job opportunities and have made travel on the August Hill road easier.

It was officially opened yesterday following six weeks of repair between September and November last year.

Dahlia Thompson, one of the females who worked on the project overwhelmed by males, quickly admitted it was hard work, but it was worth it.

"It was the hardest construction work I've ever done," she said with a chuckle.

"I threw stones and I lifted stones and I cleared the riverbed, and at one point, I worked with the welder and carpenters and lifted cement," she said.

Months earlier, the road was in such a deplorable state that taxi drivers left residents halfway into the journey.

"It affected people going to school and work because when rain fall, you would have landslides [and] so persons would have to struggle with their load. If you had baskets, you would have to struggle with them by yourself or ask somebody to help you. The drivers used to use it as excuse since they didn't want to come, but now it's fixed, so they have to go the full journey," she said proudly.

Michael Patterson was employed as a carpenter on the project and said the repair work was long overdue. He said prior to the repairs, only the brave would risk using the road.

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Residents benefit from retaining wall work - Lead Stories ...

CHICAGO (CBS) Four people reportedly were taken to hospitals after a Metra Rock Island train hit a concrete retaining wall while pulling into the station downtown.

Metra passenger Jack Lavallee said he felt a big jolt when the Rock Island Line train arrived at the LaSalle Street station around 6:30 a.m., and the train hit the metal and concrete end stop.

According to unconfirmed dispatch reports, four people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. A total of 15 people were treated from the train.

A spokesperson for Metra said the cause of the crash was under investigation Monday morning.

Metra was experiencing a number of problems and delays due to equipment and mechanical problems caused by the cold, including frozen switches.

Also, a Metra train clipped a semi-trailer truck in Niles, at Touhy Avenue, around 6 a.m. That crash caused a 90-minute delay on the Milwaukee District North Line.

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Metra Train Strikes Wall Pulling Into LaSalle Street Station

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When stones and chunks of a hillside retaining wall on Notre Dame Academy's property came crashing down onto a section of Victory Boulevard sidewalk, in Silver Lake between Eddy Street and Forest Avenue, the day before Thanksgiving, the cascade caused $1,000 worth of damage to the passenger-side front door panel of Anthony Sabatino's brand-new 2013 Lincoln SUV.

It could have been much worse, and not only for his vehicle, he said. Residents of nearby apartment buildings park along that stretch of Victory Boulevard, and "people walk along there with strollers and kids."

Sabatino said he was outraged that, after the incident, Notre Dame "roped it off and called it a day," without removing the rocks, rubble, and downed small tree.

The mini-landslide was caused when part of a retaining wall halfway up the hill became dislodged, Sister Patricia Corley, president of Notre Dame Academy, explained to the Advance on Dec. 31.

The wall, located behind Notre Dame's elementary school, is 85 feet long and two-and-a-half to five-feet high, she added. "The edge of that wall, due to freezing and melting, became dislodged."

Following the incident, Notre Dame signed a contract with a mason, but clearing the mess and working on the site was delayed by a combination of poor weather and the holidays, Sister Corley said.

The mason has since "cleaned all the debris and loose rocks, and put up a wooden barrier" to intercept anything that might fall in the future, she said in a Jan. 2 update.

The mason will return in the spring, to install reinforcing bars into the retaining wall, she added.

Sister Corley acknowledged the "challenge" of maintaining the hillside.

"Over the past few years, we've engaged masons to fix, maintain, and fill in," walls on the property, she said on Dec. 31. "We're very much aware of our obligation, and very much on top of it."

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Temporary fix completed for unstable retaining wall on Notre Dame Academy's property

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