Back to Construction Accidents
The largest settlement for a construction accident resulting deaths and injuries was recently announced in the amount of $101 million. In October 2003, construction workers were caught in a parking garage that collapsed at the Tropicana Casino Resort and Casino in Atlantic City.
Four men were killed and about two dozen others were injured when the top five decks of a new 10 story, 2,400-space garage in the center of the Tropicana came crashing down.
The plaintiff's attorney described the settlement as the largest personal injury settlement in the region and the largest construction accident settlement in the nation.
The attorneys said 36 plaintiffs would share the $101 million, which includes $82.5 million in cash and $8.3 million for medical expenses. The settlement will be divided case by case through arbitration, they said.
Under the settlement agreement, 16 defendants which include the Tropicana, Keating Building Corp., Fabi Construction, the general contractor, and various architects, engineers, subcontractors and insurers will pay the settlement.
The amount that each defendant will pay is not yet available.
"Tropicana is grateful that the litigation surrounding this tragic event has been resolved, and that we can participate meaningfully in the resolution," casino officials said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers remain with all the families involved."
The settlement came two months before the case was scheduled to go to trial.
The construction accident happened on October 30, 2003, as workers poured concrete on the top deck, the garage collapsed in a cascade of concrete, steel and falling construction workers.
The results of a six month investigation by OSHA pointed to a project flawed in design, execution, and oversight.
OSHA officials found that the contractors had failed to install critical steel connections between the garage decks and an outer wall, and had not provided a strong enough support system to brace the concrete decks.
OSHA fined Fabi, Mitchell Bar Placement, Keating, and Site-Blauvelt Engineers almost $120,000. Fabi, which was cited for six of nine total violations, was ordered to pay $98,500 of the total fine.
Reference:
"Tropicana victims to get $101 million," The Philadelphia Inquirer, Troy Graham and Jennifer Moroz, April 2007.
