Two insurers have asked a federal judge to declare that they do not have to cover or defend Figg Bridge Engineers Inc. in lawsuits brought against the firm over the deadly collapse of a pedestrian bridge last March.
And meanwhile, a Florida state judge heard arguments July 31 over whether records related to the bridge design and construction must be released to the public. The Miami Herald is suing to gain access to those records.
Figg Bridge Engineers of Tallahassee helped design the bridge that fell at Florida International University near Miami, killing six people and injuring others, including bridge workers, last March.
Travelers Indemnity Company of Connecticut and The Phoenix Insurance Company are contending in U.S. District Court papers that there is a legal controversy between the parties regarding the scope of their coverage and whether they have a duty to defend and indemnify Figg in the lawsuits filed by survivors, legal publications report.
Well before the deadly bridge collapse on March 15, a series of cracks had begun emerging on both the south and north ends of the new pedestrian bridge at Florida International University in Miami, the National Transit Safety Board says in a preliminary report.
It says that cracks on the bridge’s north end were documented with photos a full 19 days before the failure that killed six people.
The significance of the cracking remains unclear. The investigation into the cause of the collapse of the 950-ton bridge could continue well into 2019.
