A man lost his life after a Family Dollar in Kansas City collapsed — and this woman says she knew the tragedy was going to happen for a while.
In case you didn’t hear the sad news, a Family Dollar store partially collapsed on Broadway Boulevard in the Missouri city around 2:45 p.m. on Sunday. The Kansas City Fire Department responded to the tragedy, and unfortunately discovered that patrons had been in the store along with employees at the time of the collapse. They quickly determined two people were hurt — a 50-year-old woman was critically injured, and heartbreakingly, a 68-year-old man identified as Larry Banks who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Related: 2 Missing Little Girls Found Dead In Septic Pit
Just horrifying… but it sadly wasn’t unexpected by people in the neighborhood who regularly shopped there.
Noah Banks (pictured above, no relation to the deceased victim) spoke to KMBC on Tuesday about the time leading up to the collapse. She says she lives in an apartment right across from the store, and she’d been watching the condition of the building for a while. In fact, she told the outlet that she warned people just ONE DAY before the disaster that she believed the building was going to fall soon.
In texts shared by the news site, she can be seen sending a photo of the building and writing to her loved ones:
“I’ve been watching this for quite awhile now, please be careful the next time you go to family dollar ; it’s falling.”
Whoa…
In an interview with the outlet, Banks sadly started to choke up with emotion as she talked about the victims:
“I believe that that man did not have to lose his life because they were aware of it. That lady did not have to suffer trauma the way she did if preventative measures were taken.”
The interviewer even mentioned a city inspector had come to the building last Tuesday, but nothing was done about the structural integrity of the building. The inspector had come by for an issue with “trash problems” — a heartbreaking oversight. If only they’d caught on to the problem then…
See the full video (below):
Banks isn’t the only one who saw this coming, either. A friend of hers who actually received one of her warning texts, Cheryl Carson, spoke to The Kansas City Star and said:
“When I went in there. I talked to the lady at the counter … And I said, ‘Aren’t you guys scared about what’s getting ready to happen?’ I said, ‘This building looks like it’s getting ready to fall down.’ She said, ‘I know, you’re not the only one who has said something about that’.”
The employee’s response? They allegedly said their manager was aware of the issue, but chose “to wait and see what’s going to happen” because of other air conditioning and maintenance issues. Sounds like ANOTHER alleged oversight… Ugh.
In an email to People on Tuesday, local police confirmed an investigation is ongoing. But right now, they still haven’t offered any information as to what actually caused the building to fall:
“The investigation remains open and there is not anything additional available at this time. As with any death investigation, detectives will work with prosecutors to determine if there are applicable charges.”
The owner of the building, Arthur Fels Company, as well as Family Dollar themselves released statements sending their thoughts and well wishes to the victims. The retail company also mentioned they’d be “conducting wellness checks with our employees and offering them resources and assistance” as the company conducts “an investigation into this matter”, per KMBC.
Meanwhile, a rep for the city government of Kansas City told People in a statement:
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and the injuries that occurred. This is not something the City takes lightly. We are actively investigating this incident and working closely with multiple departments — including Public Works, Neighborhood Services, City Planning and Development, and the Kansas City Fire Department.”
Such a horrible situation. We hope justice comes for the victims. Especially since it all just sounded so avoidable…
That’s what Banks is hoping for, too. She told The Kansas City Star on Monday that her faith guided her to warn her loved ones about the impending collapse:
“I want that lady and that man to have justice for what happened to them both. For the last two days, before it happened — I am a follower of Christ Jesus — and I heard the Holy Spirit tell me to warn as many people as possible.”
Our heart goes out to the victims and their loved ones. May they get clear answers soon.
R.I.P.
[Image via KMBC/YouTube]
The post She Warned Everyone This Family Dollar Would Collapse — And The Next Day, It Did appeared first on Perez Hilton.