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🇮🇸 Iceland /Energy & Infrastructure

Woman fears for parents' safety after construction claw strikes their home

From Morgunblaðið · () Icelandic

Translated from Icelandic, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A woman fears for her elderly parents' safety after a construction machine's claw smashed a window in their apartment building.
  • The incident occurred at an assisted living facility in Hamraborg, Iceland, where demolition work is underway.
  • Residents have previously complained about the contractor's work, citing flying debris and poor site management.

A woman expressed fear for her elderly parents' safety after a demolition machine's claw struck their apartment building, shattering a window. Selma Hreiðarsdóttir said the incident, which occurred at the Fannborg building housing elderly residents in Hamraborg, Iceland, was "quite terrifying."

"It's quite terrifying that someone would attack a person's parents' house and break their window right in front of you with a giant claw," Hreiðarsdóttir told mbl.is. She added that the contractor's response was "sad," as no workers checked on the residents, who are in their 80s and 90s.

It's quite terrifying that someone would attack a person's parents' house and break their window right in front of you with a giant claw.

— Selma HreiðarsdóttirDescribing the incident where a construction machine's claw struck her parents' apartment building.

This is not the first complaint about the construction site. In April, mbl.is reported that flying sheet metal from the work area caused significant damage to the building. Residents at the time criticized the contractor's site preparation before high winds, calling it "serious negligence."

The law has been broken … it looked like a very straight-up-and-down situation where people with no lawful right were preventing free access and egress from a site … [The police's] job is to enforce the law and that didn't happen.

— Commissioner Stuart Wood KCCriticizing police inaction during a union dispute on a Brisbane infrastructure project.

Demolition of the Fannborg building began earlier this year. Hreiðarsdóttir was visiting her parents when the incident happened. She watched as a large crushing claw repeatedly struck the building near her parents' window. The claw hit the house once, then again, causing the structure to shake. On the third strike, a loud crack, like an explosion, was heard, and the window shattered.

Despite the damage, the machine operator reportedly gave a thumbs-up and continued working. No one came to check on the residents. Hreiðarsdóttir managed to contact the head of the facility, and eventually spoke with the contractor.

The rule of law wasn't applied, the rule of the mob operated.

— Commissioner Stuart Wood KCDescribing the perceived failure of police to enforce the law during a union dispute.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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