Building collapse survivor Lexus Berry, flanked by co-counsel Andrew Stroth and Steven Hart. (WVIK photo)
Another lawsuit is being filed following the partial collapse of a downtown Davenport apartment building that killed three tenants.
Lexus and Quanishia Berry were in their apartment on May 28th when their part of the six-story building dropped to the ground. Lexus was able to escape, but Quanishia was trapped for nearly eight hours, and only got out of the rubble after part of one leg was amputated.
Lexus Berry spoke at a news conference on Wednesday. “All that we want is just accountability to be able to have closure and to know why this happened and to be able to move forward with our lives,” Berry says. “We definitely, most importantly, want you guys to know that we are not victims to the situation. We are survivors.”
Steven Hart is the attorney for the women and says he asked them what they wanted. “And what they said is, ‘We’ve been quiet too long. We’ve been pushed down too long. We’ve been taken advantage of too long. And it struck us as we fell four floors into a pile of rubble that it’s time for someone to be held accountable,'” Hart says.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday names building owner Andrew Wold, several LLCs connected to him, as well as his property management company, engineering firm, and contractors. It also names the City of Davenport and the building’s prior owner. The Berrys’ lawsuit is the second to be filed in connection with the incident.
(By Herb Trix, WVIK, Rock Island and Zachary Smith, Iowa Public Radio)