Lawsuits Filed Over 2007 Minnesota Bridge Collapse

The first personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits were filed last week in Minnesota as a result of a bridge collapse that occurred on August 1, 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 150.

The lawsuits were filed in the District Court of Hennepin County on behalf of the family of one person who was killed and another three people who were seriously injured when the Interstate 35W Bridge collapsed into the Mississippi river.

These are expected to be the first of many cases that will be filed on behalf of those who were injured or killed by the bridge collapse.

The lawsuits allege that buckling and bulging signs were observed in the 40 year old bridge in the photographs taken as early as 2003, but that URS Corp, a San Francisco consulting firm responsible for evaluating the bridge during the years before the collapse, either did not attach the appropriate significance to the signs or negligently failed to observe the buckling and bulging.

The complaint also names Progressive Contractors, Inc., a Minnesota company who was performing work on the bridge at the time of the collapse. According to the cases, the contractor had about 587 tons of equipment stored at the weakest point of the bridge.

The State of Minnesota has established a $38 million compensation fund for individuals injured in the bridge collapse. Victims who participate in the compensation program, which is expected to pay settlements in February, are required to give up their right to sue the state, the city of Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota However, they are not precluded from filing lawsuits against other parties, including the inspectors and contractors who have been implicated in the bridge collapse.