35W bridge collapse survivors and victims get settlement totals

Photo by mtellin

The 179 settlements in the 2007 35W bridge collapse have been officially accepted and the amounts for each victim have been released. The money is from a $37 million fund set up by legislators.

Check out the individual amounts below.

The highest payout: Paula Coulter, of Savage with $2.2 million. Her three family members also on the bridge received small amounts. Coulter, her husband, and her two girls were driving a minivan across the bridge when it collapsed. Their van flipped and crashed upside-down. Coulter almost died of a head injury.

A settlement for the death of Patrick Holmes was the largest for a fatality. His settlement is worth $1.39 million. Holmes, 36, was an exercise therapist in Bloomington and he was heading home when he died on the bridge.

Victims had until Thursday to make a decision on their settlements. Check out the full settlement list here (PDF).