A resident of the apartment building that partially collapsed in Davenport, Iowa last week, has filed a lawsuit against the property owner, the city as well as engineers and contractors who worked on the building- citing negligence.
The complaint, filed in Scott County court on Monday (5 June) was filed on behalf of Dayna Feuerbach who lived in The Davenport at the time of its collapse.
It accuses the building’s owner, Andrew Wold, and companies of failing to maintain the building to keep tenants safe. It also accuses the city of failing to act on multiple warnings about the building’s structural integrity, according to NBC News which obtained a copy.
“Despite knowledge of the inevitable nature of this collapse, neither Wold, the City of Davenport, nor the licensed engineers ordered the necessary evacuation of the building,” the complaint alleges.
The lawsuit comes just hours after Davenport Police Department confirmed they recovered the remains of three previously missing tenants: Branden Colvin Sr, 42, Daniel Prien, 60, and Ryan Hitchcock, 51.
In a press conference on Monday morning, Davenport Police Chief Jeffery Bladel said: “We don’t have any other information at this time and there’s any additional people missing and or related to this incident.”
Mr Bladel said the city was initiating an investigation into the collapse with the Davenport Fire Marshall’s Office, the division of criminal investigation, the medical examiner’s office and other organisations of the city.
Documents and reports released after the partial collapse revealed that engineers flagged structural issues with the facade of the building and indicated it was at risk of falling in the days before it fell.
Months before the incident, city officials and the building’s owner were warned that parts of The Davenport that were unstable.
Over several years, tenants voiced concerns about cracks in the walls, mold, water leakage and broken hot water.
One former maintenance employee told The Independent he warned the owner of the building’s deteriorating conditions.
“The city had warning after warning,” attorney Jeffrey Goodman said to The Associated Press. “They had the responsibility to make sure that the safety of the citizens comes first. It is very clear that the city of Davenport didn’t do that.”
The complaint brought forward alleges multiple counts of negligence and seeks unspecific damages.
