DAVENPORT, Iowa — On May 28, 2023, around 5 p.m., the Quad Cities community was rattled after the apartment building at 324 Main St. in Davenport partially collapsed.
Three men died and one survivor was left with a life-altering injury from the collapse after needing to have her leg amputated at the scene. Dozens of others were displaced as well. In the months before the west wall fell, engineers and city officials visited the building nearly a dozen times and cited numerous issues before the tragic May 28 event.
The building has since been razed, with all the rubble shuttled to a Scott County landfill. As of the date of publication, a total of nine individual lawsuits have been filed in the aftermath of the collapse, all of them consolidated into one due to having similar issues of law and fact.
As we approach the end of the year, many in the community are still seeking answers as to what led to the tragic events. Victims and their families continue to seek justice as well.
News 8 has compiled a timeline of what we know about the days leading up to the collapse, along with what has come after.
Days leading up to the collapse
May 26: Co-owner of R. A. Masonry witnesses windows shattering as bricks drop from the exterior
Ryan Shaffer, co-owner of a masonry company that was contacted by building owner Andrew Wold for a quote, said he watched 324 Main St. degrade over several months. His company gave Wold a bid to "support the building all the way up, replace the section of wall on the inside that was missing and then redo the façade of the brick on the outside," but was rejected for its cost.
While working nearby, he noticed bricks falling and water pouring out of the downspout when it hadn't rained recently. He said part of the building dropped, shattering a vertical strip of windows.
May 27: 911 call made to Scott Emergency Communications Center
Shaffer saw workers continue construction on the building and warned them to stay away.
Workers told their boss about Shaffer's warning, prompting the boss to call 911 to ask emergency services to check out the building. He said one of his workers noticed the exterior wall "wasn't looking good."
Firefighters responded to the scene five minutes after the initial call and left four minutes later.
Later on June 11, Davenport's Chief Strategy Officer Sarah Ott explained on the 911 call, saying responding firefighters "observed active work occurring and external shoring was in place and observable." She said more than 24 hours had passed after the firefighters' observation.
Day of collapse: May 28, 2023
3:30 p.m.: Co-owner of R. A. Masonry tells workers to evacuate
Shaffer repeated his warning to the workers at 324 Main St. on Sunday. Workers left the building at 3:30 p.m.
4:55 p.m.: The west wall of The Davenport collapses
The collapse occurred shortly before 4:55 p.m., which is when first responders arrived at the scene of the hotel-turned-apartment building on the evening of Sunday, May 28. At least six stories caved in on the west side of the building facing the parking lot, with some apartment rooms completely destroyed.
8 p.m.: Davenport mayor and first responders hold first press conference
Davenport Mayor Mike Matson said multiple agencies responded to the scene and were continuing to search for people unaccounted for.
Davenport Fire Chief Mike Carlsten said fire crews rescued seven individuals and escorted a dozen more out of the building. Rescue teams would continue to work through the night. Gas and water leaks were found, but utility companies shut them off.
Rich Oswald, development and neighborhood services director for the City of Davenport spoke on the building's known condition leading up to the collapse. He said the owner had permits to make exterior repairs.
The evening of May 28: Quanishia "Peach" Berry was rescued from the wreckage, her leg amputated at the scene
Peach and her wife, Lexus Berry, were evacuating when Peach became trapped in a pile of rubble. Several hours after the collapse, she was found pinned. Doctors determined her leg had to be amputated to free her, leaving her with a life-altering injury.
Days following the collapse: Reactions from the city, other stakeholders
May 29, 7 a.m.: Second press conference with fire chief saying nobody else was inside the building
On May 29, Fire Chief Mike Carlsten announced that there was nobody else trapped in the building after rescue and cadaver dogs from Iowa Task Force 1 swept the site. One person had been extracted from the rubble.
"I have no known individuals (who) are trapped in that facility," Carlsten said.
May 29, 9:45 a.m.: Efforts transition from rescue to recovery
The Davenport Fire Department turned control of the site over to the Davenport Development and Neighborhood Services Department after they determined all residents were out of the building. Demolition was expected to begin the next morning on Tuesday, May 30.
Later in the day, the City of Davenport sent out a press release confirming that demolition would start on Tuesday due to the unstable condition of the property.
Evening of May 29: Lisa Ann Brooks emerges from a fourth-floor window, community rallies against scheduled demolition
Crowds gathered outside the building the evening of Monday, May 29, to protest the upcoming demolition, with families of loved ones unaccounted for continuing to hope for their rescue.
Just hours after the city announced the imminent demolition of the partially collapsed building, Lisa Ann Brooks emerged from a fourth-floor window of the building more than 24 hours after the collapse, increasing the intensity of the protests to not continue with the demolition.
By Monday night, the city said the building was still in danger of imminent collapse. The Davenport Police Department said they were working with families to account for all remaining individuals. Mayor Matson made a statement expressing his condolences.
May 30, 6:07 a.m.: the City of Davenport says demolition is only being staged, timing is still being evaluated
Officials said immediate demolition was never intended, but they wanted to stage the area for tear-down quickly. Mayor Matson said the city was trying to determine how to tear down the building while maintaining the dignity of the people who might have been killed.
May 30, 10:30 a.m.: Third press conference, search continues as people still unaccounted for
Officials announced that the Davenport Fire Department and the MABAS 43 Technical Rescue Team would conduct additional searches, rescuing several animals in the process.
Mayor Matson said five people were still unaccounted for, with at least two feared to be stuck in rubble too dangerous to search.
The city's consulting engineers explained that the age of the building and the method of collapse made search and rescue difficult. Debris piles were holding up the rest of the building.
Family members of Ryan Hitchcock and Branden Colvin, two men who were unaccounted for in the building, protested and spoke at the press conference. Colvin's aunt expressed her frustration with the city's willingness to quickly demolish the building, but one of Hitchcock's family members asked the crowd to allow the city to proceed.
May 30: Building Owner Andrew Wold fined
The City of Davenport fined building owner Andrew Wold and his business Davenport Hotel LLC $300 plus $95 in court fees for not keeping 324 Main St. safe and sanitary.
Afternoon of May 31: Wold, property management company releases statement
Wold and his property management team, Village Property Management, shared "thoughts and prayers" for the families affected and thanked city services for their help.
The full statement reads as follows:
"Our thoughts and prayers are with our tenants and families during this difficult time.
We would like to thank the brave men and women of Davenport fire, Davenport police department, and all other first responders for their tireless efforts to ensure everyone's safety.
We have been working closely with the American Red Cross and other agencies to assist the displaced tenants affected by this event. We are forever grateful to them for all of their assistance with our tenants.
Andrew Wold, Owner
Sarah Tyler, Libby Mills & the entire property management team"
May 31, 5:43 p.m.: City releases documents in relation to 324 Main St.
The City of Davenport released almost 100 documents concerning 324 Main St., which included structural engineering reports, violation notices and resident complaints leading up the collapse on May 28.
RELATED: A timeline of issues raised about Davenport apartment building, months before it partially collapsed
June 1, 10 a.m.: Fourth press conference reveals three men remain unaccounted for
The city released the names of the three remaining tenants that were unaccounted for — Branden Colvin, Ryan Hitchcock and Daniel Prien.
As the community learned more about The Davenport's structural concerns in the months prior, public pressure continued to mount on the City of Davenport for answers. In response, officials said they did not order an evacuation because they relied on the engineer's assurances that the building remained safe.
The city announced that people who lived in the building would be eligible for $6,000 from the city and $5,000 from the state if they met certain income requirements. Businesses affected could also receive payments.
June 1: The City of Davenport's chief building official resigns
Trishna Pradhan, the city's chief building official, was confirmed to have resigned in the aftermath of the collapse. He visited the building on May 25 and erroneously reported it had passed an inspection. He said he attempted to change the inspection result to "incomplete," but a technical glitch changed the result to "failed."
June 2, 10 a.m.: Fifth press conference, Iowa task force completes search for survivors
Four days following the collapse, authorities said the search for survivors had been completed and that they would be moving on to shore up the structure so recovery efforts could begin.
June 3-June 5: Bodies of three missing men found
As Iowa Task Force 1 continued their search and recovery efforts, the bodies of Branden Colvin, Ryan Hitchcock and Daniel Prien were recovered from the debris. All three men were unaccounted for in the days following the collapse.
June 5, 10 a.m.: Final press conference takes place, cause of death revealed for victims
The State Medical Examiner ruled that all three men had the same cause and manner of death. The cause was multiple blunt force injuries with mechanical asphyxia, the manner was accidental.
The Iowa Task Force 1 wrapped up their search and recovery efforts.
Aftermath of the collapse: Demolition, cause and origin report, ongoing lawsuits
June 7, 5:30 p.m.: First Davenport City Council meeting since the collapse
When the Davenport City Council met for the first time following the collapse, protestors stood outside before the meeting demanding accountability. Mayor Matson began with a moment of silence. City council approved $600,000 of emergency funds to assist families and businesses displaced by the disaster.
June 12-June 21: Demolition begins on the collapsed apartment building
Demolition of the remaining structure at 324 Main St. began on Monday, June 12. The process, from tear-down to debris clearing, was expected to take several weeks
There was a brief pause in demolition on June 16 at 4 p.m., after Peach and Lexus Berry's lawyers filed a motion to do so. However, at this point in the process, a significant amount of the building had already been torn down. The motion paused the demolition process from 4 p.m. on June 16 to 8:30 p.m. on June 20.
On June 19, a truck began moving debris and rubble to a Scott County landfill and on June 21, the city reported the building as completely dismantled.
June 14: City of Davenport hires engineering firms to investigate the collapse
Chicago-based firm White Birch Group LLC and SOCOTEC Engineering were hired by the city to investigate the cause and origin of the collapse
July 18: News 8 learns criminal investigation started days following the collapse
In the days following the collapse, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) was requested to help investigate what occurred at 324 Main St. Ryan Kedley, a special agent with the DCI, sent News 8 the following update on Tuesday, Nov. 28:
"The final investigative report is in the process of being drafted and upon completion will be forwarded to the Scott Co. Attorney’s Office for an ultimate charging decision."
Sept. 7: City of Davenport releases cause and origin report
The City of Davenport released the findings of two engineering firms hired to investigate the cause and origin of the building collapse. The report cites numerous structural concerns that led to the collapse. News 8 spoke with another structural engineer for his insight on the report, which can be read here.
The 113-page cause and origin report from the city can be read in its entirety here.
Lawsuits began to pile in during the months following the collapse
Many of the surviving residents, and family members of those who had passed, have filed lawsuits against the building owner, Andrew Wold, along with his LLCs Davenport Hotel LLC and Andrew Wold Investments LLC. City officials and other stakeholders have also been included in the lawsuits, along with various engineering and masonry firms that were doing work on the building in the months leading up to the collapse (i.e. Select Structural, Bi-State Masonry). A previous property management company, Parkwild Properties, and property owner, Waukee Investments, were also named.
On June 2, the first lawsuit concerning the collapse at 324 Main St. was filed by Mildred Harrington and Rijeh Garnet, both previous residents at the Davenport. Three days later on June 5, another resident, Dayna Feuerbach, filed suit. Over the next month and a half, residents Jean Vaval, Christina Ross and Broc Nelson also filed lawsuits against Wold and his companies.
Residents Quanishia (Peach) and Lexus Berry filed suit on June 7 after Peach had to have her leg amputated at the scene of the collapse, leaving her with a life-altering injury. The Berrys would later bring on a structural engineering firm to investigate the collapse.
In addition to lawsuits from residents, owners of 4th Street Nutrition in Davenport also filed suit on June 9. The business was located on the first floor of the building. Part of the plaintiff's suit was a petition for a class action lawsuit.
Finally, family members of the men who died have filed wrongful death lawsuits for each victim. The estate of Branden Colvin filed a wrongful death suit on June 21, with the estates of Ryan Hitchcock and Daniel Prien filing similar suits on Nov. 15.
As of late September, all preexisting and future lawsuits concerning the Davenport collapse have been consolidated due to similar issues of law and fact.
Find all of News 8's coverage on The Davenport Collapse by clicking here.