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Bridge Collapse Victims Praise Compensation Fund

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Apr 21, 2009 3:26 pm US/Central

Bridge Collapse Victims Praise Compensation Fund

ST. PAUL (AP) ― A Minnesota House panel has heard praise from survivors and attorneys for how the state compensated victims of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse.

Jennifer Holmes and Mercedes Gorden Rudh expressed gratitude Tuesday for how smoothly a special panel divided up a $36.6 million fund set up by the Legislature to compensate victims and their survivors.

Holmes received nearly $1.4 million for the loss of her husband, Patrick Holmes, in the Aug. 1, 2007, collapse. Rudh, who has undergone 10 surgeries for her broken legs and back injuries, received over $850,000.

The three lawyers who administered the fund said allocating the money among 179 victims was difficult but went well.

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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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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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