I-35W bridge victims: Companies breached contracts

[Turk]

Hey smar a- s- s- why don't you ask the people who DIED as a result of the 35W bridge going down if they would have preferred that bridge be closed rather than being KILLED!!!

Think about it s- k- u- z- z- brain!!

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anonymous wrote:

<quoted text>
Americans are unique in that they sue regardless of the situation. They have learned that even if your case is frivilous and unfounded, a lawsuit usually will reap a benefit in monetary terms. Companies will settle on an amount because it is usually cheaper than going through the legal process and as is often the case, to prevent negative publicity. Who will ever forget the case of the woman who put a cup of coffee between her legs after ordering it through the drive thru, it spilled causing burns, then she sued the well known Company because she claimed she didn't know it was hot. Perhaps instead of a settlement, they should have purchased an education for the ignorant woman. We all pay for those who cannot understand tragic accidents happen without negligence on anyone's part. We all pay the price for those who cannot take responsibility for their own actions. WE have become a sue happy nation; a quick buck at everyone's expense. There are legitimate lawsuits, but the percentage is so small they are considered rare.
I find the suit against Progressive Contractors repulsive. They were resurfacing the bridge and nothing more. But some greedy attorney with greedy clients found words in a contract that they will twist and turn to suit their greed. I agree with the poster who stated companies will now completely close roads as they repair them just to prevent lawsuits. Another example how we will all suffer from those who chase the almighty dollar.

[doornumber1]

Turk wrote:

Hey smar a- s- s- why don't you ask the people who DIED as a result of the 35W bridge going down if they would have preferred that bridge be closed rather than being KILLED!!!
Think about it s- k- u- z- z- brain!!
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<quoted text>

Turk, you are one angry dude. I've seen your posts here and there and you are one of the top ten negative posters on blog sites. It doesn't matter what the subject matter is, you are always talking hate. There are good points in anonymous post and unfortunately a lot of truth. You are incorrect on why the bridge collapsed. If anyone is to blame, it would be the government who oversees bridge safety and government engineers you would have approved the specs for the job. Not the company who was hired to resurface it. Accidents will occur and some will be tragic as is the case here. But not all accidents are due to intentional negligence and that is the point.

[Turk]

Do you think the people who died in the collapse would think HATE might apply?

doornumber1 wrote:

<quoted text>
Turk, you are one angry dude. I've seen your posts here and there and you are one of the top ten negative posters on blog sites. It doesn't matter what the subject matter is, you are always talking hate. There are good points in anonymous post and unfortunately a lot of truth. You are incorrect on why the bridge collapsed. If anyone is to blame, it would be the government who oversees bridge safety and government engineers you would have approved the specs for the job. Not the company who was hired to resurface it. Accidents will occur and some will be tragic as is the case here. But not all accidents are due to intentional negligence and that is the point.

[SunShine]

Turk wrote:

The bridge fell because of mismanagment NOT because of 1/2 in gusset plates.
ALL bridges built at the time this bridge was built were using 1/2 inch gusset plates.
It fell because of the addition of layers of pavement and median barriers. Add in 45 years of exposure causing much rust and deterrioration. Add 800,000 pounds of construciton material to the bridge. Remove expansion joints as a part of repair. Add a very HOT day causing pavement shove!!
WALLA bridge falls..
Blameing thin gussets is so lame..
Any lawsuit should be a slam dunk!!

ExFreakingActly!

This is a prime example why we need to institute Loser Pays in our court system.

[doornumber1]

Turk wrote:

Do you think the people who died in the collapse would think HATE might apply?
<quoted text>

I think they might use the word sorrow or devastated. At times no doubt anger. I did not lose anyone in this tragedy, but I have experienced the same type of loss in another incident. Hate was an emotion I never felt, just complete emptiness.

[Sarah D]

WOW wrote:

Pretty easy for some of you to judge those people that are suing. But...put yourself in their shoes and live with their injuries, both mental & physical, and you probably would sing a different tune!!

The thing is that "stuff" happens. Sometimes there is no one really to blame for it. Who do you sue if a tornado destroys your house and a family member dies as a result? Do you sue the company that built your house? The weatherman? God?

What if a loved one has a heart attack and dies? Do you sue the person's doctor? The paramedics who took your loved one to the hospital? The loved one's parents for passing defective genes to your loved one that resulted in a heart condition?

You are never ever going to be totally safe, never ever going to be free from tragedy.

Dealing with tragedy is part of what it means to be human. If blatant neglect or mismanagement caused a loved one's injury or death then yes it should be addressed. But there will be times when tragedy happens just because stuff happens. It's part of life. You pick up the pieces and move on.

[Sarah D]

Turk wrote:

The bridge fell because of mismanagment NOT because of 1/2 in gusset plates.
ALL bridges built at the time this bridge was built were using 1/2 inch gusset plates.
It fell because of the addition of layers of pavement and median barriers. Add in 45 years of exposure causing much rust and deterrioration. Add 800,000 pounds of construciton material to the bridge. Remove expansion joints as a part of repair. Add a very HOT day causing pavement shove!!
WALLA bridge falls..
Blameing thin gussets is so lame..
Any lawsuit should be a slam dunk!!

And you are an engineer since you state so forcefully that inadequate gussets had nothing to do with the collapse?

Or perhaps you're a lawyer since you think this is such a "slam dunk" lawsuit?

Or perhaps you're someone who is very, very bitter about life for some reason and just want to lash out at everyone?

[Turk]

I research, facts:

An inspector noted the gusset plates on that bridge were rusted to 1/2 their original thickness. That would put 1/2" gussets at 1/4 inch, do you see a problem with that?

Bill Kallman bridge engineer for a long time has repeatedly stated the 35W bridge was affected by pavement shove that HOT August day.

1/2" gussets were the normal size on all bridges when this bridge was built. The 35W bridge was 45 years old and slated for replacement and was fracture critical.

Many heavy loads were added to the bridge over the years: curb, overlay etc.

Chemical bath was added to the bridge for ice removal adding to rust.

The state let the bid for expansion joint removal/replacement without ensuring the bridge would support the construction activity.

800,000 pounds of material were put on the bridge without concern for the ability of the bridge to support same.

The expansion joints were removed at the time of failure.

No saftey engineer was present during construction, had there been one they would have realized the day of the failure the bridge was very quiet, a dire sign. A construction worker on the bridge noted the bridge was quiet the day it failed.

During this HIGH risk construction on this fracture critical bridge traffic was allowed.

A bridge in Ohio with same construction as the 35W bridge actually fell some inches during media blasting. That bridge was closed and repaired with new gusset plates and is in use today.

The cause of that Ohio bridge failure was rusty gussets. Why that failure was NOT related to all states with like bridges was unfortunate, during the Clinton administration.

Bottom line sue and win!!!!

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Sarah D wrote:

<quoted text>
And you are an engineer since you state so forcefully that inadequate gussets had nothing to do with the collapse?
Or perhaps you're a lawyer since you think this is such a "slam dunk" lawsuit?
Or perhaps you're someone who is very, very bitter about life for some reason and just want to lash out at everyone?