Family of Kiersten Smith awarded over $860M in crane collapse lawsuit
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – A Dallas jury has awarded over $860 million to the family and estate of Kiersten Smith, who died when a construction crane collapsed on the Elan City Lights apartment complex during a storm in 2019.
During the trial, lawyers for the family argued that the crane had been left in a rigid position during a windstorm and not allowed to "weathervane," which means to point into the wind.
Lawyers also pointed out that dozens of other construction cranes in Dallas survived the same windstorm without incident.
Smith was the only resident who died after the crane collapsed on the complex during the storm. Five others were injured and many were left without a place to live.
"The defendants Greystar and Gabriella Tower tried to deny their obvious responsibility for this preventable deadly tragedy, and we are grateful to the jury for holding them accountable and granting a punitive verdict that sends a message that says big companies cannot afford to be reckless with people's lives," the family's lawyers said in a statement.