‘Red flag after red flag missed’ lawsuits filed after fatal building collapse

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - A lawsuit filed on behalf of Dayna Feuerbach said red flag after red flag that a collapse or a catastrophe was coming was ignored.

Lead Attorney Jeffrey Goodman said Feuerbach, a resident of The Davenport at 324 Main St. when the building collapsed wants accountability.

The lawsuit filed Monday in Scott County accuses property owner Andrew Wold, the City of Davenport and contractors of gross negligence that led to the May 28 collapse that killed three residents.

The lawsuit claims Wold and the city both had repeated warnings that the deteriorating building poised danger to residents, yet did nothing.

At every opportunity, Wold focused on saving a few bucks over protecting the lives of their residents, Goodman said.

“The failures with the owner, the failures with the contractor, the failures with the engineer, I mean, their behavior throughout this case was incompetent beyond. And these are some of the most egregious failures I’ve seen in my career.

“It’s supported by everything that I’ve seen. I’ve been involved in investigating numerous structural collapses from the Salvation Army collapse in Philadelphia were seven people died, to the Surfside collapse in Miami, where 98 people died. And the documents that I have seen at this early stage in Davenport, are among the most egregious I have seen in my career.”

Also suing the owner of The Davenport are Mildred Harrington and Rijeh Garnett accusing the owners of failing to keep residents safe.

Harrington was in her apartment and was there when the building partially collapsed.

According to the lawsuit, Harrington lived with her boyfriend, Phillip Brooks, and Phillip’s mother Lisa Brooks. Lisa, 59 years old, was pulled through a window unit of her apartment on Monday night.

The lawsuit says Lisa went to the hospital and treated for dehydration.

The other plaintiff Garnett was a resident of a nearby building.

Garnett was out of town during the collapse. When she returned, a police officer barred her entry, but then escorted her inside to retrieve her two pet dogs. Unable to return home, Garnett spent two night in a Red Cross-provided shelter, and, according to the lawsuit, she is currently staying at a local hotel.

The lawsuit also makes claims for a class action status, which would ultimately be decided by a judge.

Earlier Monday, Davenport Police Chief Bladel said Branden Colvin Sr., 42, was found Saturday at 11:59 a.m., Ryan Hitchcock, 51, was found at 12:25 p.m. Sunday, and Daniel Prien, 60, was found Monday at 2:30 a.m. All were forensically identified.

Before presenting to the media, Bladel said there has been contact with the families and was a delay of information to be able to talk with the families.

This story has been updated to correct the name of the lead attorney to Jeffrey Goodman.

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