Davenport’s police chief says the operation at a partially collapsed apartment building is now in a ‘recovery’ mode. Officials also revealed that a city employee has resigned in the aftermath of the collapse. (June 1)
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — The bodies of three Iowa men have been removed from the site of a collapsed six-story apartment building about a week after part of the century-old structure tumbled to the ground, the city of Davenport’s police chief announced Monday.
“We don’t have any other information at this time that there are any additional people missing,” Chief Jeff Bladel said.
Meanwhile, residents of the building have started filing lawsuits. One, filed Monday by Dayna Feuerbach, is accusing the city and the building’s current and former owners of knowing of the deteriorating conditions and failing to warn residents of the risk. A second action by Mildred Harrington against the building’s owner alone alleges the same.
Feuerbach’s lawsuit alleges multiple counts of negligence, and both actions seek unspecified damages.
“The city had warning after warning,” attorney Jeffrey Goodman, who represents Feuerbach, told The Associated Press. He called it a common trend in major structural collapses he’s seen. “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.”
City documents, released last week and cited in the lawsuits, suggest concerns about the integrity of parts of the building that were conveyed to the city and owner, Andrew Wold, over the course of months.
A recording of a 911 call placed just the day before the partial collapse reveals the director of a local organization affiliated with the chamber of commerce reported a contractor’s concerns about a wall’s integrity. City fire officials responded by visiting the site for less than 5 minutes, according to the dispatch log.
