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Jury selection begins for first trial over Deep Ellum crane collapse
The lawsuit argues that the crane on a construction site collapsed on the victim's apartment complex, which caused her death. Attorneys spent the whole day questioning dozens of jurors to find the six that would be the best for their case.
DALLAS - Jury selection began Tuesday in the first trial for a victim of the 2019 crane collapse that killed a 29-year-old woman.
The lawsuit argues that the crane on a construction site collapsed on the victim's apartment complex, which caused her death.
Attorneys spent the whole day questioning dozens of jurors to find the six that would be the best for their case.
Cell phone videos captured the moment the crane collapsed onto the Elan City Lights apartment complex in Old East Dallas.
It happened on June 9, 2019, during severe weather with wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour. 29-year-old Kiersten Smith was killed.
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The management company of the Elan City Lights complex announced late Monday that the entire complex is uninhabitable and the 534 people who live in the building will have to move.
The lawsuit going to trial alleges gross negligence and demands punitive damages.
Appellate lawyer Chad Ruback is not associated with the case but says the jury will be asked to decide if the defendants' actions were reasonable or not.
"Plaintiffs will need to prove for each defendant in this case, what the standard of care was, and what a reasonable defendant would have done, and that the defendant did not meet that standard or care and fell short," he said.
The defendants include the crane operator, the construction company and the property owner.
"There are a number of defendants. It is possible they find one or two were negligent. Others were not," Ruback said. "The fact the crane collapsed is not negligence. It sure looks suspicious, but I am sure the defendants will have some good explanations as to why it happened, in spite of them doing what they believed was the right thing to do."
Attorneys asked the potential jurors on Tuesday if it is a company's responsibility to keep the public safe, where they get their news and other probing questions.
Ruback says the process is about more about eliminating jurors than choosing them.
"The person who gets picked is the one who said nothing and did not offend either side because no one knows much about them," he said.
Opening statements could happen after jury selection is completed Wednesday. The trial could take 2-3 weeks.