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4 Bridge victims sue over 35W bridge collapse
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Lawsuits were filed for 3 victims of the Minneapolis bridge collapse in Hennepin County District Court on Thursday. The lawsuits were filed on behalf of individuals who were injured and the family of one who was killed in the August 1, 2007 Interstate 35W bridge collapse. Those filing suits are: Justin and Jennifer Mishler, Linda Paul and Gene Johnson, and UPS driver Wilfred "Bill" Wagner. The family of truck driver Paul Eickstadt has also filed a lawsuit. The victims are suing the consulting firm that evaluated the Interstate 35W bridge and the contracting company that was repaving the structure when it fell. Minneapolis attorney Jim Schwebel says URS Corp. and Progressive Contractors Inc. are named in lawsuits filed Thursday. "The victims weren't at fault, they didn't cause this," Schwebel said. The bridge collapsed on Aug. 1, 2007, killing 13 and injuring 145. Schwebel says URS missed warning signs in gusset plates identified as a key factor in the collapse. He says PCI failed to analyze the effect of removing parts of the bridge deck and loading tons of construction materials onto the structure. In a news release, PCI said, "It is unforunate that the law firm thought that it was appropriate to comence litigation involging the 35W bridge collapse before the NTSB issues its final report. It is more unfortunate that PCI was named as a defendeant in the litigation." The statement continues by saing PCI is "confident" that the NTSB will exonerate it from any liability involving the collapse. A spokesman for URS declined to respond to the lawsuits, citing a company policy against commenting on pending litigation.
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