wound. reporter: on the scene, a red dress marks where their apartment once stood. an apartment building where just days before the collapse inspectors noticed a brick surface had separated from an interior wall and appeared ready to fall imminently, according to a letter addressed to whom it may concern from an engineer dated may 24th. you know how they knew about it? they were told time and time again. reporter: it s why peach and lexus barry are suing, alleging the warning signs were known much earlier than a few days prior. the family wants the owners of the building, the engineers, the contractors, held responsible for this tragic and 100% preventable event. reporter: but not everything can be recovered in a courtroom. when i close my eyes, i was just heard the cracking again. i heard the falling, the dropping again. like is it going to happen again? like am i safe in the building i m in? reporter: what did this take