Mar 10, 2008 6:54 pm US/Central
House, Senate Differ On 35W Victim Compensation
ST. PAUL (AP) ―
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Senator Ron Latz, the bill's sponsor, said his approach is the fairest to taxpayers and those hurt in other incidents who are bound by the state's liability limits. (File)
Laura Philippsen
A plan to compensate victims of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse is on its way to the Minnesota Senate floor for a vote.
The Senate Finance Committee passed the bill after deciding that $25 million would cover all the claims.
The House bill approved last month set the total amount at $40 million.
The main difference between the two bills is that the Senate version limits settlements to $400,000 per victim, no matter how much more they lost.
Senator Ron Latz, the bill's sponsor, said his approach is the fairest to taxpayers and those hurt in other incidents who are bound by the state's liability limits.
But attorney Chris Messerly says a hard cap on settlements could lead him to advise victims to reject settlement offers and challenge the state's liability limits in court.
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The original I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River opened in November 1967 and was 1,907 feet in length. The replacement bridge opened in September 2008 and measures 1,216 feet in length.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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