After 10 months of unsuccessful negotiations, a pair of companies operating in Illinois may be using their general liability coverage after they were sued for allegedly contributing to a bridge collapse.
Campbell and Afton Township filed suit against both Enbridge Energy and Welded Construction for damages to the Keslinger Bridge in 2008, the Daily Chronicle reports.
Officials allege that Welded Construction drove overweight vehicles over the bridge, causing it to collapse and fall into the river below. The firm had been contracted by Enbridge to work on a pipeline in the area.
Officials tried for months to reach a settlement in the case, but they were unsuccessful.
“The company that destroyed this bridge is refusing to take responsibility,” DeKalb County State’s Attorney Clay Campbell told the paper. “The citizens of DeKalb County should look forward to having their day in court because they are entitled to it.”
Officials told the paper that a local engineer has already estimated the damages to be more than $1 million. Such a cost would be very difficult to bear for small businesses without sufficient coverage.
