Why did Macy Chiasson sue a Dallas crane company? All about when the UFC star "skimmed death"
Macy Chiasson, who's known for her durability and tenaciousness inside the octagon, once found herself at odds with a crane company in Dallas, Texas, USA. The UFC star, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, stayed in Dallas, Texas, in 2019.
On Sunday (June 9, 2019), a crane accident took place in Old East Dallas, which resulted in the death of an individual (a 29-year-old woman named Kiersten Smith). The accident also injured many others. During a storm passing through the Dallas area on that day, a falling crane ended up severely damaging Elan City Lights, the apartment building in which Chiasson resided.
As reported by Dallas News, the crane was one of two present for work at a construction site for a project known as The Gabriella. Both Elan City Lights and The Gabriella were owned by a company known as Greystar. Meanwhile, the crane was owned by Bigge Crane and Rigging.
After just having returned on Sunday afternoon, Macy Chiasson was folding laundry in her room inside her first-floor apartment in the Elan City Lights apartment building. The TUF 28 winner was startled by a loud sound and then heard something crashing through the floors above hers. She immediately called T, her dog.
The MMA athlete swiftly got her phone and a pair of shoes but couldn't put them on and had to run out of the apartment barefoot, with shards of glass hurting her feet. Smoke, breaking glass, and falling cars underscored the shocking incident. Additionally, bleeding and injured people were running helter-skelter in the courtyard.
Furthermore, Macy Chiasson recalled witnessing a woman bleeding and pleading for help on the second floor. The UFC fighter indicated that it was an agonizing situation. The 32-year-old wanted to help her but simply couldn't, as the structure behind the woman had collapsed.
In the accident's aftermath, Macy Chiasson and around 500 residents of Elan City Lights were adversely affected. Chiasson filed a lawsuit against Bigge Crane and Rigging, Elan City Lights, and The Gabriella. The UFC bantamweight and featherweight sought over $1 million in damages from the crane company, the apartment complex of her residence, and the unfinished apartment complex.
As for Greystar, the organization that owns the finished and unfinished apartment buildings, they refrained from commenting on the lawsuit on the Tuesday and Wednesday that ensued the accident. Moreover, Bigge Crane and Rigging's corporate counsel, Randy Smith, similarly refused to comment on the Wednesday after the accident.
Jason Friedman, Macy Chiasson's attorney, implied that the lawsuit entailed the request for a restraining order to prevent the crane company and other interested parties from potentially tampering with evidence at the accident site. Regardless, the restraining order was later found to be unneeded because the site had already been taken over by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
A crane safety expert, Thomas Barth, appeared to suggest that the crane that fell likely did so due to an operator's error as it wasn't parked appropriately. Dallas lawyer Frank Branson opined that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would likely conclude that the crane company was responsible for the accident.
Another key factor was that the National Weather Service notified the public of the storm three hours before the accident, per Branson. The lawyer added, therefore, that the crane operators and company should've exercised an abundance of caution in regard to the heavy machinery at the construction site.
Apparently, the crane company was previously sued for $56,700 for a 2013 crane collapse. However, they'd later settled for a lower amount.
For her part, Macy Chiasson emphasized that she'd been deeply perturbed by the traumatic event. Besides, it's believed that the fighter's belongings (such as her passport, UFC gear, etc.) were all trapped in the damaged apartment building after the accident. Moreover, Chiasson harked back to surviving the ordeal and stated:
"It's been a little bit of shock and thankfulness, as far as being alive and just skimming death ... I've lost everything."
Macy Chiasson lost everything in the crane accident
The crane accident left a huge impact on Macy Chiasson's life as the New Orleans native had to go to Louisiana to get her life back on track. In an interview with TMZ Sports, after the incident, Chiasson said that she lost most of her belongings in the accident.
The only solace, however, was that her dog survived the situation:
"I've completely lost everything. I don't have anything. I just have literally the shirt, a pair of shoes and the shorts I have on. I have nothing but my dog. Everything's gone." [H/T Bleacher Report]
Chiasson added that even the most important documents like her identity card, birth certificate as well as passport were destroyed in the accident.