Posted on 10/25/2007 12:47:48 PM PDT by pitinkie
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Almost three months after the deadly bridge collapse crushed her legs, Mercedes Gorden said her medical bills are approaching $300,000.
Gorden and other survivors - along with relatives of two people who died in the collapse - want state lawmakers to create a compensation fund modeled on the 9/11 fund established by Congress after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The disaster victim compensation fund proposed by Rep. Ryan Winkler of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, would cover medical costs, economic losses and pain and suffering. Collapse survivors who accepted a settlement from the fund would give up their right to sue the state.
Winkler said the fund is needed because Minnesota law caps the state's liability at $1 million per incident and $300,000 per individual. He and Rep. Phyllis Kahn, also of the DFL, said the total cost would be a small percentage of the estimated bridge recovery and reconstruction costs, which are close to $400 million.
"One thing that we can do is make sure that failure of this bridge is not a financial burden on these individuals," Winkler said at a hearing of the House State Government Finance Committee at the American Red Cross in Minneapolis.
Action on the bill probably won't happen before the Legislature reconvenes in February, unless Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty calls a special session, which is unlikely.
He said medical bills for some individuals alone will easily top $1 million.
Testimony from survivors and family members outlined the human side of the losses.
Jennifer Holmes cried when she talked about her husband, Patrick Holmes, who died in the collapse. She said she notices his absence in little things, like doing laundry and errands, to bigger issues like saving for their two children's future.
(Excerpt) Read more at att.net ...
That is why I put in the disclaimer that it my comment was a little off-topic. I fully agree with your other points.
I read that thread, probably posted in it, and the article took the total amount of funds allocated for the 2005 hurricane recovery and then divided the amount by the population of New Oleans.
“I think the state saying we can only be held completely liable for 1 Million total for the entire incident, when in this day and age something like a bridge collapsing, is morally repugnant. “
Especially since this came to light over 20 years ago in that Colorado case (Medina) where the state did a Wile E. Coyote and rolled a huge boulder down a mountain and into the side of a tour bus.
Also some of these people, and kids, are probably eligible for Social Security survivor benefits depending on age and how long they’ve been paying into it. The dirty little secret of Social Security is that you can accumulate enough points for your family to earn at least a decent check each month should you die. It’s an insurance program as well as a retirement program. I have enough points that it will put my son through college just on that check alone. My wife won’t have to touch the insurance.
Except that they must have been taking Federal funds in some way for their bridges, it being an Interstate and all. Hello to Federal jurisdiction.
Bad precedent as far as I am concerned. Fed stuck their noses in and now they have anyone and everyone lining up at the door with one hand out and the other in the taxpayers' pocket.
The bridge was under repair. Due to unforeseen circumstances, it fell down. End of story.
This is no excuse for some Democrat to come along and figure out yet another way to skim even more money from Minnesota tax payers. This is a payola vote buying scheme. Pure and simple.
Infrastructure repair? Why? We can’t see it unless the potholes are too big. The populace doesn’t see the improvements and scream about the cost of upkeep so our wonderful politicians give us what we want and spend our cash on stuff that gets them less grief and more votes to the detriment of infrastructure.
When something bad happens, the same whiners who scold the politicians for spending on maintenance then scream for compensation because the politicians were only doing their bidding in the first place.
I do not believe a single inspector ever thought about certifying the bridge because they had malice aforethought.
Modern politics dictated this outcome because we, as a whole, want everything NOW and the consequences be darned.
I agree,,,
The “state’s POS bridge fell down while being worked on by the “state’s” POS contractor,,,
They are both the “negligent party”,,,That’s a Fact,,,
Otherwise the man would not be DEAD and this young mother
would not have $300,000.00 in bills in 3 months !!
Even if he would have had insurance it would be all used-up
just to pay for some of her treatment...
BS... it fell down due to negligence. They weren’t working on the bridge that fell down, get your facts right. They were building a new bridge to replace it.
The state and the contractors and lots of people screwed up, I guarantee you when the final report comes out you will find a comedy of errors.
Prove it and win the law suit lottery. Until then, your opinion is worth the electrons it was written with.
Wait until the official report comes out, and you will see just how idiotic your statements are. Bridges that are part of the interstate highway system don’t just fall down on a clear day with no outside forces acting upon them. Bridges like this collapse because someone screwed up, usually many people screw up over an extended period of time.
The bridge was judged structurally difficient in 1990, now that’s a technical term so as to the exact specs who knows. A contractor was driving pilings into the river just a few hundred feet away from the bridge, as of yet there is no proof that this activity contributed to the collapse, but I’m fairly certain the final report will find negligence by the contractor, by the state, etc etc etc.
You can sit there and spew your rhetoric that bridges just fall down, but they don’t Bridges properly maintained do not just fall down, just like skyscrapers that are properly maintained don’t just fall down. No more than guns just “go off”.
You are the one making the extraordinary claims of negligence. Either put up some facts and figures or shut your pie hole.
You are aware, aren’t you, that some people CAN’T get life insurance or it’s too expensive because of pre-existing conditions? I certainly don’t know if that’s the case here, but I recently tried to get a higher level of life insurance and was rejected.
The company I work for was sold and the new owners dropped employee life insurance coverage. No problem, I was 40, my late wife was 38, let's buy our own. In the process of getting life insurance for my “Late Wife”, a routine exam showed she had a tumor in her abdomen. It was cancer and she died 14 months later, I never saw a cent of insurance money, even though for 14 years I had paid into a company term policy. Once my employer dropped the plan, we could not continue paying for it on our own.
Everyone can get it, just a matter of cost. You are correct some people have conditions that make them expensive to insure, however given they quote the woman on this, but nothing else I doubt that was her husbands issue.
I went and got private insurance.
One thing I would suggest to everyone is this: Get level term insurance outside of your employer. 10 year level term outside of your group plan + your group plan would be the best way to go. I am 38 and can now no longer get life insurance outside of my employer group coverage. Loose my job and no life insurance!
If ever a comet rushes toward the earth, about to crash into us and destroy all life, millions of people will be crying for federal funds and condemning Bush for not doing something to stop it.
LOL yes they will!
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