Daily Archives: August 29, 2010

$52.4 Million settlement in negligence lawsuit after bridge collapse

A bridge collapse in Minneapolis 3 years ago left 13 people dead and another 145 injured. Now an engineering consulting company is settling a negligence lawsuit against them for $52.4 Million. Many complaints began to surface right after the accident with personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits soon filed. Victims of the bridge collapse and their families worried that proper inspections were not performed on the bridge. The New York Times reported that the bridge in Minneapolis had passed an inspection but that in no way meant the bridge was in good condition. Many bridges throughout the US, including in New York are found to be damaged and dangerous. Unfortunately, these bridges are kept open. A New York personal injury lawyer explains that negligence is to blame. No one wants to pay to have these bridges fixed and replaced, as should be done. Engineering companies, like the one involved in the Minneapolis accident, are often blamed when someone is injured or there’s a wrongful death due to a bridge collapse. Civilian advocates explain that municipalities, businesses and even individuals are held responsible for negligent repair maintenance. This holds true for large structures like a bridge or apartment building but also for smaller objects like a sidewalk or display rack in a store. Read up on details of the bridge collapse and recent settlement here.