Minneapolis Bridge Collapse Victims Reach Settlement

A key negotiator says a deal has been reached to compensate victims of the Minneapolis bridge collapse.

State Rep. Ryan Winkler tells The Associated Press that House and Senate conference committee members shook hands on the deal overnight.

Victims' attorney Chris Messerly says the $38 million plan addresses a key sticking point in the negotiations. That's whether to recognize the state's liability limit by capping awards to individual victims.

Messerly says the deal would allow victims to get up to $400,000 each. There's also a supplemental $12.6 million fund for the worst injured.

The Aug. 1 bridge collapse in Minneapolis killed 13 people and injured 145 others.

The main factor which led the Minneapolis disaster were the undersized gusset plates in the bridge, the National Transportation and Safety Board said in a statement released in January,2008. The plates were at half the thickness they should have been due to a design error, said NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker.

When the bridge collapsed, the state had a $1 million-per-incident liability cap in effect. After the incident, Sen. Latz proposed an amendment to enable the victims to sue the state or enter into settlement talks for up to $300,000 each. The amendment had no success because it would have put the victims through a long legal process and left those suffering from serious wounds with uncovered costs.