Insurers to Pay Out $99.25M for Crane Accident

A Milwaukee judge’s ruling decreed that five insurers of the Miller Park construction project are liable to pay $99.25 million in damages from a crane accident that killed three ironworkers, according to an Associated Press report.

The insurers: Federal Insurance Co., one of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies; Indemnity Insurance Co. of North America, a division of Cigna Corp.; Royal Insurance Company of America; Tokyo Marine; and Travelers Indemnity Co. of Illinois; argued that their policies did not cover the damages because the jury found defendant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America committed “intentional acts,” which are not covered.

However, Judge Dominic Amato ruled the jury did not find Mitsubishi, the roof subcontractor for the Milwaukee Brewers’ new ballpark, had committed intentional acts, but had displayed an “intentional disregard of the rights of the plaintiffs” to expect a reasonably safe workplace, which qualified as a negligent act and was thus covered.

The ironworkers were killed when a crane lifting a 450-ton roof piece collapsed in high winds on July 14, 1999.

The state appeals court will now hear the case, according to the AP. The verdict and other parts of the case have already been appealed.

Topics Carriers