Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen’s co-founder Stuart Grossman and trial attorney Alex Arteaga-Gomez have filed a negligence lawsuit on behalf of Richard Humble, a survivor of the Florida International University (FIU) pedestrian bridge collapse that took place on a busy thoroughfare, Southwest 8th Street, in Miami.
The suit is against a number of the private parties involved in designing, constructing, installing, and inspecting the failed bridge. Public entities, such as Florida International University and the Florida Department of Transportation, both of which were intimately involved in the construction project, cannot be sued until a 6-month notice period expires.
Humble, 19, was riding in the passenger’s seat of Alexa Duran’s SUV when the bridge unexpectedly collapsed on top of the vehicle on March 15, 2018. His friend Alexa, 18, who was driving during the time of the collapse, did not survive the tragedy.
Now, Humble is suing because of both the physical and emotional trauma he endured from the tragic event.
Below is a statement of Stuart’s reaction to the incident and his approach to taking on this case:
“Richie had the worst possible experience a young man can have: He innocently sat next to his dear friend as the infamous FIU bridge collapsed on their vehicle and crushed her to death, injuring him physically and psychically in one of the most profound and preventable tragedies this community has ever witnessed,” he says.
“Our complaint alleges defective design; questions the bidding process; asks why this pre-constructed type of bridge was purchased even though more traditional bridges have NEVER failed in this community; why the subject cracks were not inspected sooner; and why testing and tightening of bridge cables took place while major road traffic was permitted to continue. We foresee much evidence to be uncovered in our own investigation, and we will not rely upon the government to do this work for us.”
You can read more about the case and the FIU pedestrian bridge collapse in the news articles below:
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