Kiersten Smith died when the crane, owned by rental firm Bigge Crane & Rigging, collapsed during a severe thunderstorm in June 2019.
The jury found that Greystar Development and Construction bore responsibility for the disaster which injured five people in addition to killing 29-year-old Smith. Smith's parents, Michele Williams and James Kirkwood, were plaintiffs in the suit.
Greystar was ordered to pay the family US$860,012,006 for mental anguish and loss of companionship. The award included the punitive sum of US$12,006, chosen as a symbolic reference to Smith’s apartment which was number 12006 at the Elan City Lights apartment complex.
The prosecution in the case had argued that Greystar, a multi-billion dollar property developer based in Charleston, South Carolina, was negligent in allowing the crane’s inspection to lapse, allowing the crane to have rusty bolts and for installing signage at the top of the crane in violation of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.
The attorney for Michele Williams argued that Greystar was also responsible for the actions of the crane operator, who had worked for more than 80 hours that week and had failed to release the slewing brake to allow the crane to ‘weathervane’, despite severe weather being forecast.
Greystar’s attorney argued that the crane and its operator were the responsibility of Bigge, one of the largest crane hirers in the US. However, lawyers for Bigge argued that the company’s rental contract meant that both the crane and its operator were the responsibility of Greystar.
The jury did not award any damages against Bigge.
At the time of the accident, Greystar was in the process of building a new apartment block, The Gabriella, next door to Elan City Lights
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