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Dallas crane collapse probed as apartment residents forced to relocate

By Nicholas Sakelaris

June 11 (UPI) -- Hundreds of residents will be forced to relocate after a powerful windstorm toppled a crane onto their Dallas apartment building, killing one woman and injuring five others.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner identified the woman as Kiersten Smith, 29, a human resources specialist at Tenet Healthcare. Her sister Toni Smith posted a tribute on her Facebook page.

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"What gives me peace is that I know she was HAPPY," Smith said of her sister. "She was in love with a great guy, soon to start a new job and had so many other wonderful things to look forward to. She was taken from this earth WAY TOO SOON. She was my best friend and this hurts so much right now."

Two of the people injured in the crash have been released from the hospital, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said. Two others were in critical condition at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. Another was in serious condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital. He is expected to recover, Evans said.

The 500 residents who live in the apartment building, Elan City Lights, were given five minutes Monday to gather their belongings. They will also be given back their deposit, get a refund for June rent plus $100 per day until Friday to help find a new home.

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Investigators with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration were working with Bigge Crane and Rigging to investigate the accident and remove the fallen crane. The tower crane has been at the construction site for more than a year but wasn't being used on Sunday when the storm hit.

The Peiner SK 415-20 tower crane is built to withstand winds up to 95 mph. Wind gusts topped out at 71 mph Sunday, the National Weather Service reported.

Former crane operator Thomas Barth said it's possible the crane wasn't "weather-vaning" properly. Tower cranes are supposed to swing freely in the wind when not in use, Barth told the Dallas Morning News. It's too early to tell what caused the crane to fall, though.

The strong winds knocked down tree limbs and power lines all over the Dallas area Sunday. An estimated 110,000 North Texans were still without power Tuesday. For some, power may not be restored until Friday.

Utility operator Oncor has hundreds of crews working 24 hours a day to restore power. Crews from out of state have come to help.

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