Nearly $60 million -- that's how much one group is seeking in a lawsuit after a devastating crane collapse in downtown Dallas.
The suit filed Tuesday in Dallas County accuses negligence against the crane company and its operator in the deadly collapse over the Elan City Lights apartment complex, according to documents obtained Thursday by NBC 5.
That collapse on June 9, 2019, killed one woman, injured five others, and left 500 residents homeless and looking for a new place to live.
The insurance underwriters who represent Greystar Real Estate Partners and the complex Elan City Lights say in their lawsuit that insurance claims are still ongoing and that they have already paid out $59.7 million to people and businesses affected by the collapse.
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The suit says the number may actually increase as payouts continue.
The crane operator, Bigge Crane and Rigging company, was fined $26,000 by OSHA in December because the administration said the company did not inspect for loose or dislodged bolts on the crane and did not follow the manufacturer's instructions to remove bolts that showed rust.
But even that failed to shed light on what caused the deadly collapse. The Crane operator released a statement a month after the crash, saying the cause of the collapse was high winds and not operator failure.
As far as we know, the exact cause of the crash that killed 29-year-old Kiersten Smith is still unclear despite an investigation by OSHA. More than a dozen lawsuits have already been filed in Dallas county since the crane collapse.
