Families of hangar collapse victims put city of Boise ‘on notice’ of possible lawsuit

Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — The families of 2 victims of nan illness of nan Jackson Jet Center Hangar astatine nan Boise Airport person notified Boise that they whitethorn writer nan metropolis successful nan coming days.

The families of Mario Sontay and Mariano Coc, 2 workers who were killed successful nan building’s illness successful January, are seeking $30 million, though their lawyer told nan Idaho Statesman he is not judge whether nan metropolis of Boise will beryllium a suspect successful nan case.

In a tort declare revenge May 10, obtained by nan Statesman done a nationalist records request, nan families’ lawyer accused nan metropolis and its contracted engineering firm, AHJ Engineers, of approving building plans for nan hangar that were “deficient.”

RELATED | Safety grounds of contractor for Boise collapsed hangar surfaces arsenic OSHA investigates

Jill Youmans, a spokesperson for nan metropolis of Boise, declined to remark connected nan case, citing nan ongoing litigation. David Haugland, president of AHJ Engineers, did not respond to a telephone telephone aliases email requesting comment.

Craig Durrant, co-founder of Big D Builders, nan project’s wide contractor, was besides killed successful nan collapse. All 3 men were pronounced dormant astatine nan scene, pinch traumatic blunt unit injuries arsenic nan cause, nan Statesman previously reported. Nine different group were injured.

RELATED | ‘Did not look right’: Workers flagged concerns earlier deadly Boise hangar collapse

The declare cites “flaws” successful nan structural design, including “inadequate bracing of nan beams and columns and each connections” successful nan approved plans.

“This was nary mean hangar,” nan declare says. “The size, weight, shape, and characteristic of nan designed (sic) called for a responsible and in-depth reappraisal based connected existent engineering probabilities. The aforesaid deficiencies were contributing causes to nan structural instability that lead (sic) to nan Hangar collapse.”

The families’ lawyer, Enrique Serna, said that location were astir 20 parties — including Big D Builders, nan Boise-based Inland Crane and different engineering firms — that could beryllium included arsenic defendants successful nan lawsuit, which he expects to record successful astir 10 days. In nan meantime, he was required to “put nan metropolis connected notice” wrong 180 days of nan incident if location was a anticipation it would beryllium 1 of nan defendants.

The declare was a “notice that if nan grounds is location to support nan truth that nan metropolis was besides negligent successful nan granting of aliases (approval of) permits successful nan guidance of nan site, etc., past they guidelines a shared work successful each this request that we’re seeking,” he said. “That’s why I’m saying, who’s going to carnivore nan brunt of it? Who’s going to beryllium nan most? I couldn’t show you yet.”

The suit will beryllium based connected nan findings of his firm’s building and engineering experts who person reviewed nan case, Serna told nan Statesman by phone. He declined to stock those findings, saying they were still being finalized and would beryllium publicized erstwhile nan suit is filed.

The suit whitethorn later incorporated aliases build connected findings of a national Occupational Safety and Health Administration study owed to beryllium released successful July, he said.

“The national authorities and I whitethorn work together successful a batch of those points,” he said. “They mightiness spell a small deeper. I mightiness spell a small deeper. We ne'er cognize until my suit is revenge and until nan OSHA study is written and issued.”

In a February property conference, Serna shared specifications astir Sontay, 32, and Coc, 24, immigrants from Guatemala who came to Idaho to activity successful construction.