A grand jury decided not to indict anyone on criminal charges related to the New Orleans Hard Rock Hotel construction collapse in 2019 that left three people dead and 30 others injured, prosecutors said Thursday.

The investigation into the fatal collapse began in 2021, and the case was presented to the grand jury over several months to determine whether criminal charges could be filed in the case, according to a statement from the Orleans Parish district attorney’s office. On Thursday, District Attorney Jason Williams said the jury did not come across enough evidence to meet the threshold for a criminal case.

“Unfortunately, criminal negligence carries a much higher burden than civil negligence, and upon deliberating, the jurors decided there simply wasn’t enough certainty to proceed,” Williams said in the statement.

Crews were working on building a new 350-room Hard Rock Hotel, just steps away from the city’s historic French Quarter, when the building partially collapsed on October 12, 2019.

More than 100 construction workers were at the site when the structure partially crumbled, according to one of the construction companies. Video footage from the horrific scene showed workers emerging from a giant cloud of dust after the upper floors collapsed and debris filled the street.

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