Florida condo resident said a 'chunk of concrete' fell out of the garage ceiling when she lived there
- A resident of the collapsed Florida condo said that a "chunk of concrete" once fell from the garage roof.
- Raysa Rodriguez, a resident of Champlain Towers South for 17 years, filed a lawsuit against the condominium association on Tuesday.
- Several prior reports documented years of disrepair in the parking garage before the building collapsed.
A resident of the collapsed Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida said that a "chunk of concrete" once fell from the garage and almost hit her car.
Raysa Rodriguez filed a class-action lawsuit against the condominium association on Tuesday, the third lawsuit filed so far in relation to the catastrophe. Her lawsuit contains harrowing details of her experience as the building collapsed, noting that the building "swayed like a piece of paper."
All three of the filings allege the association failed to repair structural damages in the building - Rodriguez said that she personally experienced issues with the condo's deterioration when her car was nearly damaged from falling concrete in the parking garage.
"Plaintiff herself previously experienced issues with the deteriorating building, including on one occasion when a chunk of concrete fell out of the garage ceiling and landed behind her parked car," Rodriguez's lawsuit alleges. "Plaintiff took pictures and sent them to Defendant, illustrating portions of the building that were in disrepair and potentially unsound."
Reports following the building's collapse show that the basement garage of the building was in disrepair and frequently flooded. An engineering consultant said there was "abundant" cracking and fragmentation in the columns, beams, and walls of the garage in a 2018 inspection report.
A different resident filed a lawsuit in 2015 and alleged the building's owners "failed to repair or negligently repaired common elements and the outside walls of the building." The case ultimately settled outside of court.
There are currently 16 confirmed deaths from the collapse and approximately 149 people still unaccounted for as rescue teams continue to search for survivors. Officials are still unsure what ultimately caused the condominium to crumble.