Two more people who lived in the Davenport Hotel – torn down after a partial collapse on May 28 – are suing the landlord, the City of Davenport, and multiple businesses, Scott County Court records say.
Jean Marie Vaval, Jr. and Christina Ross ask for a jury trial in their suit against landlord Andrew Wold, Davenport Hotel, LLC; Andrew Wold Investments, LLC; Select Structural Engineering, LLC; Bi-State Masonry, Inc; the City of Davenport; Waukee Investments I, LLC: and Parkwild Properties, LC, court records show.
The suit, which was filed Wednesday, says that before The Davenport – a six-story apartment building in downtown Davenport – partially collapsed at 324 N. Main St. on May 28, the defendants “knew or should have known the present and imminent danger residents faced, yet permitted the building to deteriorate while failing to warn residents that their lives were in danger.”
The defendants were “repeatedly warned of the severe and deteriorating condition of the west exterior wall that ultimately failed and initiated the partial collapse. Prior to the partial collapse, Defendants chose not to warn the residents of the precarious and dangerous conditions of the structure. Wold ignored the warnings of danger, delayed making the necessary repairs, to save money and increase profits, the suit alleges. Additionally, the City of Davenport, “like Andrew Wold, was repeatedly made aware of the imminent nature of the collapse and had actual notice of the condition of the premise,” the suit says.
The suit alleges that Select Structural Engineering, LLC, through its licensed professional engineers, also was aware of the present and imminent structural defects of the Davenport Hotel “and as such posing to the residents the unsafe building condition.”
“Despite knowledge of the inevitable nature of this collapse, neither Wold, the City of Davenport, nor the licensed engineers gave notice, warned or ordered the necessary evacuation of the building,” the suit continues. “The partial collapse was preventable. The negligence, gross negligence, and the willful, reckless, and wanton conduct of the Defendants, caused this devastating tragedy, and they must be held liable.”
“In the days, weeks, months, and even years leading up to this tragic and devastating structural collapse, alarms had been sounded concerning a specific area on the lower portion of the exterior west wall. Numerous inspections, reports, and photographs identify the egregious condition of an area on the west exterior brick façade and underlying Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) wall. It was this portion of the exterior west wall that ultimately failed and initiated the
partial collapse of the structure,” the suit alleges.
The suit makes multiple allegations against the defendants. Vaval and Ross ask for damages for:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Past and future pain and suffering, including mental anguish
- Past and future loss of function of mind and body
- Past and future permanent injury and disability
- Past loss of income
- Property damage and loss.
The suit also says Ross suffered economic harm for the value of her lost possessions in her apartment that she will never recover because of the complete demolition of the building.
