Homeowner Frustrated After Crane Falls On Fort Lauderdale House

A crane collapsed on a home in Fort Lauderdale, and a homeowner is still reeling from the aftermath. Last Friday (October 9), neighbors were having a shed lifted over the house at 1920 NE 57th St. Officials said something failed and caused the crane to fall on the home's roof. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue crews responded to the damaged home and power lines.

Heather Riggs and her family were on vacation and away from the home at the time of the incident, and authorities were able to rescue the dogs and cats inside. “In most of the living area -- the kitchen, living room and dining room -- the roof just completely collapsed into the living space. You know, we’re so very fortunate that nobody was inside this residence when it took place,” Stephen Gollan said, the battalion chief of the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue.

Nobody was hurt, but Riggs said she feels frustrated by the whole ordeal. She even said the home feels like a "haunted house." “As soon as I pulled up I can’t even describe the shell shock,” she said. “I look at the house and I don’t know the next step.” Tarps are on the roof, but Local 10 described the inside of Riggs' home as "absolute devastation" with gaping holes from the damage. “I was inside as the rain was trickling in, and over the days you start to see the water damage and the seepage," Justin Riggs, Heather's son, said.

Officials said the crane's supports were resting on grass above a septic tank. When the ground gave way under the machine's weight, it tipped over and crashed through the house's roof. Cleanup crews were working on the damage home from Friday through Saturday (October 10). Riggs also noted the "slow" response by the people responsible and involved. "Right now there is 24/7 security at the home, but they are in a holding pattern until the insurance companies come out to assess the damage," Local 10 reported.

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