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Feb 27, 2009 6:26 pm US/Central
Minn. Fund Makes Offers To Bridge Collapse Victims
ST. PAUL (AP) ―
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The Interstate 35W bridge collapsed on Aug. 1, 2007, killing 13 and injuring 145.
AP
Compensation offers have gone out to 179 victims of the Minneapolis bridge collapse, giving them until mid-April to decide whether to take the state help.
Attorneys expect most victims to accept the settlements.
Susan Holden, who headed the compensation panel that divided $36.4 million among the victims, said victims stand to recover far less by suing the state because of liability limits. Accepting settlements requires them to give up their right to sue the government but not private companies that worked on the bridge.
"I don't really see any reasonable alternative but to take it and to take it fast," said attorney Chris Messerly, speaking for a legal coalition representing 117 victims.
The Interstate 35W bridge collapsed on Aug. 1, 2007, killing 13 and injuring 145.
The Legislature established the victim compensation fund last year, recognizing the bridge collapse as a historic catastrophe.
Holden said the panel divided the full amount among the victims, but no one will be fully covered for their losses. The value of individual settlements will range widely.
Victims are seeking more by going after the private companies. Four victims have already sued URS Corp., an engineering consultant that analyzed the structure, and Progressive Contractors Inc., whose crews were resurfacing the span when it fell. Messerly said his clients are preparing separate lawsuits against the companies.
Progressive Contractors Inc. filed paperwork earlier this month to add the state and Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., the successor company of the bridge's designer, as defendants.
The National Transportation Safety Board attributed the cause of the collapse to the thinness of steel gusset plates holding bridge beams together. Victims' attorneys have their own experts analyzing the collapse and its cause.
Victims have until April 16 to accept or reject compensation offers. Court approval is required for settlements involving minors and those killed in the collapse. Holden said state officials are prepared to cut checks to victims within a couple weeks.
She said the money will help with medical bills and other costs as victims recover from extensive physical injuries and post-traumatic stress.
"The offers are going to make a difference in every one of those people's lives," she said.
Attorney Dick Nygaard of Schwebel, Goetz and Sieben said his firm recommends taking the offers. His firm represents 20 bridge victims.
Messerly said his clients are grateful for the help.
"A lot of people cried when I called and told them the news," he said. "Something has finally happened that's good for them."
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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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