Apartment building collapse leaves three dead
An apartment building that partially collapsed two days earlier can be seen Tuesday, May 30, in Davenport, Iowa. Five residents of the six-story apartment building remained unaccounted for and authorities fear at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. Erin Hooley/AP
A partial building collapse in Davenport, Iowa, in the Quad Cities, killed three people late last month. The six-story apartment building was housing more than 50 residences at the time of collapse. City officials and the building owner had been warned of structural problems for months leading up to the collapse, according to city documents, and tenants of the building said they’d complained to the city about a variety of problems in recent years.
Now, several residents have filed lawsuits against the city and the building’s owner. A spokesperson for owner Andrew Wold told CNN last week, “We are devastated by the building’s collapse and our hearts go out to everyone involved, people displaced, people injured, and of course the people that lost their lives.” The city said it can’t comment on pending litigation.
To talk about it, The 21st was joined by an attorney in one of the lawsuits and two journalists who have been following the story.
GUESTS:
Andrew Stroth
Civil rights attorney
Grace Kinnicutt
Municipal Reporter, Dispatch-Argus and Quad-City Times, was moved out of apartment near collapsed building
Herb Trix
News Director at WVIK in the Quad Cities
Prepared for web by Owen Henderson
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