SEATTLE — Wednesday marks the third anniversary of a deadly crane collapse in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood that left four dead and two injured.
The anniversary comes just a month after a jury awarded $150 million to the victims and their families.
On April 27, 2019, a tower crane fell across a Google office building under construction and into the lanes of traffic along Mercer Street in the South Lake Union neighborhood.
Debris from the collapse struck several vehicles below, including a car carrying 19-year-old Sarah Wong, a freshman at Seattle Pacific University, who died from her injuries.
Alan Justad, 71, a long-time city of Seattle employee was also struck and killed by falling debris from the collapse while he was in his vehicle on Mercer Street.
Also killed in the collapse were two ironworkers, Travis Corbet, 33, and Andrew Yoder, 31, who were disassembling the crane when it fell.
In addition, Ali Edriss and Sally Beaven were injured as a result of the collapse.
Several lawsuits were filed in King County Superior Court against Morrow Equipment Company, GLY Construction, Northwest Tower Crane Service, Omega Morgan and Seaburg Construction, the companies responsible for dismantling the crane.
The final verdict found Northwest Tower Crane 45% responsible, Omega Morgan 30% responsible, and Morrow Equipment 25% responsible for the collapse.
The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) investigated the collapse in the months after and determined it was caused by the companies not following the manufacturer’s procedures for dismantling the structure. Those procedures included prematurely removing nearly all the pins and sleeves that helped hold the crane together.
The early removal of those pins caused the crane to break off and fall when it was hit with a 45 mph gust of wind, according to officials.
L&I fined three of the five crane companies more than $100,000 for the violations that led to the deadly collapse.
In March 2022, a jury awarded $150 million to the victims and their families.
More than $72 million was awarded for the death of Wong. More than $50 million was awarded for the death of Justad. Ali Edriss will receive more than $12 million. Beaven will receive $1.3 million.
Alan Justad's daughters, Marika, Jade, and Miro, released the following statement:
"Nothing can replace our beloved father, Alan Justad, or ease the unthinkable heartbreak that this preventable tragedy has caused our family and so many others. To the city, our dad was many things – leader, civil servant, University of Washington alumni and lifelong Seattleite. But to us, his daughters, he was simply our best friend.
“This verdict is a victory for accountability. We are deeply grateful to members of the jury for their thoughtful consideration and deliberation and for sending a crystal-clear message that companies absolutely must put safety first to protect the lives of our community members.”