‘SOMEBODY IS GOING TO DIE’

Contractor Gave Eerie Warning Ahead of Iowa Apartment Building Collapse

Two people are feared dead in the collapse, which has sparked outrage and protest in Davenport, Iowa.

A contractor in Iowa warned about the possibility of an apartment building’s collapse earlier this year—with the situation so dire he told the building’s owner that “somebody is going to die,” according to records released by the City of Davenport on Wednesday. The eerie warning came from Ryan Shaffer, who was approached by the ill-fated building’s owner, Andrew Wold, in February about possibly making repairs to the 126-year-old structure. Shaffer said Wold cheaped out when given a $50,000 estimate for repairs, asking for work that’d cost less—a request Shaffer said he couldn’t support. “He wanted to cut the cost by cutting out the shoring and supporting of the building,” Shaffer said. “I said, ‘If we don’t do it this way exactly, I’m not putting my guys in there. Somebody is going to die.’” The building partially collapsed Sunday, destroying apartments and leaving five people unaccounted for—with fears two men are still trapped inside.