FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Fort Lauderdale homeowner said she is still figuring out her next steps, days after a crane collapsed through her roof while delivering a shed to another home, causing extensive structural damage.
7News cameras captured Heather Riggs as she surveyed the damage outside of her home, Monday.
“I don’t know what to do next, to be honest with you,” she said.
A tarp has been placed over the spot where the crane toppled onto the residence along Northeast 57th Street and 19th Terrace, just before 12 p.m., Friday.
Inside, cameras showed holes in their ceiling, plumbing and electrical wires exposed, and debris strewn everywhere.
To say Riggs and her family are overwhelmed is an understatement.
“This walking area keeps falling minute by minute,” she said as she pointed to the kitchen.
Since the crane collapse, the family has been trying to figure out where to go from here, but it hasn’t been easy.
“I don’t know the next step. I look at the house, and I don’t know the next step,” said Riggs.
The family has already contacted insurance companies and lawyers, but they are trying to prevent the damage from getting worse, especially from the elements.
Cellphone video captured rainwater seeping into the interior.
“I was inside as the rain was trickling in, and over the days, you start to see the water damage and the seepage,” said Justin Riggs, the homeowner’s son.
The crane belongs to On the Spot Services. A representative with the company said they were installing a shed in a neighbor’s yard, but that homeowner never told them there was a septic tank on their property.
The representative said the crane operator was unaware of this when he parked right over the septic tank, and the crane collapsed.
Riggs and her family said they understand everyone has their own insurance companies to deal with, but they hope everyone will do the right thing and give them the help they need.
“It wasn’t an act of God. This was avoidable,” said the homeowner. “This was error, human error, and I’m paying the price for it.”
Riggs and her children are staying with family and friends while they determine their next move.
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