Kenneth Feinberg has spoken out on behalf of the 13 deceased and 100 injured during the Minnesota interstate bridge collapse August 1st. His advice to the injured: Save time by settling now, instead of through the courts. His advice to the State of Minnesota: Relax the caps set on settlement monies and pay the injured.
Feinberg is the Washington, D.C. attorney who was appointed “Special Master of the U.S. Government's September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.” He was instrumental in awarding $7 billion to the victims of the terrorist attack on the United States.
The lawyer told a Minnesota legislative subcommittee the bridge collapse financial settlement was modest in comparison to the New York City attacks and advised legislators to act quickly issuing monetary rewards.
State Rep. Ryan Winkler, authored a draft bill establishing a victims compensation fund patterned after the 9/11 fund. Victims taking advantage of this fund would be asked to not sue the state. Such action would appropriate monies faster, since it could be two years before the National Transportation Safety Board makes an official ruling on the disaster.
Feinberg said, "Pay the victims now and seek reimbursement down the road if private parties such as contractors are found to be at fault for the collapse.”
The bridge was under the governance of the state of Minnesota, so the state could be named in lawsuits. If the state would be found liable, law limits individual payouts to $300,000 and total compensation to an occurrence – the bridge collapse -- to $1 million. The issue now is whether to waive those caps.
State Finance Commissioner Tom Hanson weighed the cost of four scenarios based on 13 dead and 100 injured victims:
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