35W bridge collapse victims welcome lawsuit settlement
November 07, 2009 05:21 AM
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Victims and the families of those killed in the Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis in 2007 agreed Friday to settle their lawsuits against a construction company that was resurfacing the span at the time.
Lawyers for the victims say their clients are grateful they're one step closer to having all the collapse-related litigation behind them.
"Many of them have suffered permanent injuries, both physical and psychological, and those will never go away. But coupled with that is the economic reality of losing a paycheck and not having money for medical expenses. What this does is softens the hardship of the economic losses that have resulted," said Jim Schwebel of Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben.
About 130 people are affected by the settlement with Progressive Contractors Inc., attorneys said. Hennepin County Judge Deborah Hedlund, who approved the agreement, said financial awards for victims will be kept confidential. Thirteen people died in the collapse and 145 were injured.
Similar lawsuits are pending against an engineering company and a design firm.
A separate settlement, also approved by Hedlund, requires PCI to pay the state $1 million to resolve claims the government had against the company.
Chris Messerly, an attorney for the victims and families, said they believed the settlement was in their best interests. Kyle Hart, an attorney for PCI, confirmed the agreement and said it settled for the maximum under its insurance policy.
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