Greenfield’s fallen Legend

On the morning of Jan. 23, 2012, Legends Little Italy Pizza collapsed in the middle block of Greenfield's Front Street, killing a man.

There were three victims of the accident, Wilson Beale, Kevin Davis and Renardo Jackson.

  Beale, part-owner of the restaurant, was in the back of Legends washing dishes when the building started to collapse around 9:35 a.m. Beale was rescued from the rear of the restaurant with no injuries, shortly after the collapse.

  Davis and Jackson were workers of a construction team who were about to pour concrete for the foundation of a planned mini-park next door to Legends, when the building started to cave in.     

  Davis was found just before 10 a.m. buried from the waist down in rubble. He was alive and treated for injuries and was carefully removed from the rubble around 11:30 a.m. and carried to the hospital, only to be released later that night.

  Around 10:15 a.m., the third victim, Jackson, was found deceased. It took close to six hours to recover Jackson's body from underneath 10 feet of debris.

  During the rescue process, Greenfield Fire Chief Bob Dudley called on the Greenfield Fire Department, and two ambulances to respond to the scene.

  Not only did the GFD respond, but also 16 different organizations responded to help with the rescue missions.

  Dudley also stopped all rail traffic through Greenfield to prevent a secondary collapse of the building.

  The estimated cost of the damage is at $75, 000.    

  The next day, an engineering firm from Memphis evaluated the five remaining buildings on the middle block of Front Street. They were all deemed safe except for the building adjacent to Legends, which was being used for storage.

  Greenfield locals and UTM students Mallory Robinson and Katie McCall have their own thoughts on the matter.     

  "The collapse of the building in town is a little surprising. Even though the buildings are very old, it's still sad to see Greenfield lose a business and building," Robinson said.

  "It was upsetting to hear that Legends had collapsed and that a life had been taken in the accident. I know that Front Street has had the recognizable antique style for many many years, but maybe it is time to update it for safety and future business," McCall said.

  The investigation into why the building collapsed is still ongoing.