A jury awarded $39 million in a lawsuit, finding Advance Cast Stone primarily responsible for a Milwaukee parking garage collapse, says Frenkel & Frenkel.
Advance Cast Stone was found primarily responsible for the collapse of a parking garage panel in Milwaukee that killed a 15-year old boy and injured two others in June 2010. The families of the victims, as well as Milwaukee County, were awarded $39 million in damages.
Garage Collapse Jared Kellner and his friend, Eric Wosinski, both 15, were a few steps behind Eric’s parents, Amy and Steve Wosinski, as they headed to the popular Summerfest event, when a concrete slab weighing over 13 tons fell from the façade of the parking garage they were exiting. Jared was crushed in the incident, while Eric suffered a broken leg and head gash. One of Eric’s mother’s legs required partial amputation, while his father was uninjured in the incident. Cause of Collapse According to court testimony, Advance Cast Stone attached the concrete slab to the parking garage with two steel connecting rods, rather than the four required. In addition, other deviations from standard building practices led the jury to find Advance Cast Stone 88 percent responsible for the accident, while the construction company contracted to oversee the project, J.H. Findorff and Son, was found to be 10 percent responsible. Advance Cast Stone maintained that they were given permission to use the two-rod connection method and that the slab failed due to vehicles striking it over its two decade existence. Jury Award In addition to Advance Cast Stone and J.H. Findorff, the jury said that Milwaukee County was 2 percent responsible for the collapse as they failed to maintain the slab properly. They awarded $6.3 million to the estate of Jared Kellner for the pain and suffering he endured just before he was crushed. In addition, Eric Wosinski and his parents were awarded $1.5 million each for emotional distress. In addition to those awards, both families were awarded about $8 million for medical costs and lost earnings, as well as pain and suffering. Milwaukee County was awarded $6 million for repairs to the parking structure and lost revenue during the months the structure had to be closed after the collapse. Because of limits in Wisconsin state statutes, the county will be required to pay the other plaintiffs no more than $250,000 total. When the negligence of a company is suspected as the cause or a contributing factor in an accident that causes injury or death, a liability claim may be in order. Contact Dallas-Fort Worth lawyers at Frenkel & Frenkel to schedule a free consultation regarding an accident where injuries may have been caused or worsened by the negligence of someone else.