Family sues over Big Dig death

From the Boston Globe: “Says profits were priority for Big Dig”

The daughter and husband of Milena Del Valle , the Jamaica Plain woman who was crushed to death in July by falling ceiling panels in the Interstate-90 connector tunnel, filed a lawsuit yesterday against nine companies and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority in a case legal observers believe could bring record punitive damages.

These facts are not in dispute:

The 14-page complaint alleges that Big Dig managers and contractors consistently chose to save time and money on the construction of the I-90 tunnel at the expense of safety by selecting concrete panels for the ceiling instead of lighter, more costly ones, and then suspending the 4,500-pound slabs over drivers' heads with bolts fastened to the tunnel roof with epoxy. Specialists have said that epoxy-and-bolt systems are seldom used to suspend such heavy ceilings without back up support.

It’s likely we’ll never know how much the Del Valle family will receive for Milena’s tragic and untimely death since most cases are settled out of court for large, undisclosed amounts.