Jack Highberger

Residents Displaced by Crane Collapse Remain in Limbo

Work at the site of Sunday’s crane collapse continued Wednesday, as crews checked to make sure appliances were off and the apartment complex was stable.

Outside, many of the 500 displaced residents dealt with the logistical nightmare of suddenly being without a home and most of their belongings.

"We are in a place called the black zone, so we are unable to get to our unit," Resident Ken Nwankwo said.

Dallas Fire Fighters escorted 35 residents inside the Elan City Lights Apartments Wednesday morning to get some of their belongings. According to Dallas Police, a moving company will be hired to move out most residents belongings to an offsite location where they can be claimed.

The family of Kierstin Smith, who was killed when the crane collapsed also announced they had hired an attorney to "seek justice" Wednesday.

The family issued the following statement.

"Instead of planning a wedding, our family is mourning her loss and struggling to make sense out of this tragedy. Kiersten's death is unbelievable, shocking and unnecessary."

The timetable for removing the crane remains uncertain, portions of the roads that surround the building are expected to remain closed for the foreseeable future.

Jack Mason, a watch manufacturer in Deep Ellum, is also collecting donations for displaced residents. The business is asking for clothes, food, reusable water bottles, phone chargers, dog food, kitchen supplies, toiletries, Uber/Lyft gift cards, blankets and pillows.

A pick-up and drop-off location for donations for those affected by the crane collapse has been set up at 3030 Canton Street Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"A lot of people are just kind of strapped right now, so it's beneficial to know the community is banding together to help us out," David Mendoza said.

Mendoza temporarily moved in with a friend after he was evacuated from his apartment at Elan City Lights. In the days since, he said a Dallas Instagram account, Dallasites101, connected with him to send him information about where to get extra help.

"It's basically spelling out where the discounts are, where we can get food, where we can get housing, who's providing discounted transportation rates, things we all need," Mendoza said.

Contact Us