MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA (November 11, 2009)  –  Court appointed mediators Steve Kirsch of St. Paul, Minnesota and John Harens from Minneapolis, Minnesota, announced a tentative settlement of all claims between victims of the August 1, 2007 35W Bridge Collapse and Progressive Contractors, Inc., the company engaged in resurfacing the bridge deck at the time of its collapse. Included in the settlement was the claims of the State of Minnesota against Progressive Contractors, Inc. The lawsuits involving URS and Jacobs are still pending. 

 

Jim Schwebel of the Minneapolis law firm of Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, representing 34 of the I-35W victims and their families, stated: “It’s gratifying to see that both the State of Minnesota and Progressive Contractors, Inc. have acknowledged the enormous losses of the I-35W victims and acted to lessen their financial hardships. Unfortunately, the primary defendant, URS Corporation, has yet to come to the table and acknowledge its responsibility for this tragedy. This means that the victims of the lawsuit, by necessity, will be compelled to continue to trial against URS Corporation”.

 

The settlement of this portion of the I-35W litigation has been approved by Hennepin County District Court Judge Deborah Hedlund.

 

For additional comments or interviews contact Jim Schwebel, Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, 612-344-0306 or jschwebel@schwebel.com.