On April 27, a tower crane on the construction site of a new Google campus building in Seattle, Washington was being dismantled when it suddenly fell onto the open street below. The incident resulted in the death of two ironworkers, two civilians, and injuries to 4 others. Family members of the victims and two of the injured people have filed lawsuits against five companies.
Families of 71-year-old Alan Justad and 19-year-old Sarah Wong filed wrongful death lawsuits against Morrow Equipment, GLY Construction, Northwest Tower Crane Service, Omega Morgan, and Seaburg Construction, according to the Seattle Times. The amount each party is seeking in damages was not specified.
Seattle, WA *Crane Collapse* #WAfire https://t.co/VljDLZCn1n pic.twitter.com/cZa2AXe3wF
— Kempter's Fire Wire (@KempterFireWire) April 28, 2019
Families of the two ironworkers that were killed are also expected to file lawsuits, the Times reports, and two people that were injured filed suits against the 5 companies mentioned above back in December.
In October of 2019, the Washington State Labor & Industries (L&I) group, which handles public safety issues in the state, handed down fines to three separate companies, citing the fact that the pins holding each section of the crane together were prematurely removed, contributing to the cause of the collapse.
There is no doubt the results of L&I’s investigation will play a role in the filed lawsuits, but the Times believes that they are likely to take years to get resolved.
Full story: Families of two Seattle crane collapse victims sue companies over a deadly ‘shortcut’ | The Seattle Times
Shane is the creator of Construction Junkie and an active construction project manager. In his career, he has managed interior remodel projects, site development, construction safety, governmental project compliance, and facility maintenance. He has a strong passion for construction technology and safety, as well as sharing the knowledge or insights he has gained throughout his career.