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'People in jail live better than us': Ceiling collapses on teen at Crystal Lake Apartments

A family says the ceiling collapsing happened because of a leak - one of a list of issues they've asked to complex to fix.

MACON, Ga. — A 16-year-old teenage girl is home from the hospital after her family says the ceiling collapsed on her in her home. 

Janesha Hicks says she was just trying to clean up the house near a leak when the ceiling came crashing down.

"It fell down onto me and I fell down to the floor and had a seizure," Hicks said. "I was hurting in pain, my head had started spinning. My head was hurting very much, so it's just like something's gotta give."

The teen spent Saturday at Coliseum Medical Center with head and back injuries. Her family said the leak had been in their apartment since they moved in, and even though they had repeatedly asked the complex to fix it, nothing was done.

Crystal Lake Apartments have already had a litany of issues in the last week. Beginning on February 5, residents in two buildings had no water, then no power. Eventually, Macon-Bibb County officials called for a full evacuation of the two buildings.

Hicks' mother Patricia Lockett said the conditions in her apartment are not much better. A walk through the home revealed bugs, holes in the wall, backed-up plumbing and no hot water. Lockett said it's no way for her family to live.

"I have grandkids here who have to live in this condition right here," Lockett said. "Come on, that makes me feel like I'm failing as a parent in general, as a grandmother. I mean, I just don't know what to do anymore."

Lockett says her two other daughters have been hurt because of apartment problems, too. Her 18-year old was shocked by their power box, which they said they have to flick on and off to get appliances to work. Her 30-year-old slipped and hurt her knee because of apartment leaks. 

The family said the complex also denied her oldest daughter from signing a lease after they already took more than $1,100 and had her two teen daughters sign a second lease instead.

The leasing office declined to comment on Lockett's conditions or her lease and locked the door after WMAZ left the office.

Lockett said the conditions her family is living in are just dangerous.

"Nobody deserves to live like this. People in jail live better than us," Lockett said.

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