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Wife of man killed in fair tragedy suing Indiana

 IBJ Staff
August 22, 2011
Keywords
Arts & Entertainment, etc., Indiana State Fair, Indiana State Fairgrounds, Law, Lawsuits, Legal Issues, Tourism & Hospitality, Tourist Attractions
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The widow of a 49-year-old man killed by a falling stage at the Indiana State Fair plans to sue the state, her attorney said Monday.

Former Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi, who is representing the family of Glenn Goodrich, said the family has filed a tort claim notice against the state regarding intent to file a lawsuit.

The tort claim is the first to be filed following the Aug. 13 incident that claimed the lives of at least six people and injured dozens of others.

Goodrich, a security worker employed by ESG Security, died after the stage collapsed as a wind gust estimated at 60 to 70 mph toppled the roof of the stage and the metal scaffolding holding lights and other equipment. The stage collapsed onto a crowd of concertgoers awaiting a show by the country act Sugarland at the fair's grandstand.

Goodrich, who was working at the show, was critically injured in the incident and died hours later.

The tort claim was filed on behalf of Goodrich's widow, Heather, and two sons.

“This serves as the first step in the process to help Heather and her young sons obtain the resources they need to survive, as Glenn was the primary earner,” said Brizzi in a prepared statement.

Brizzi said the state has 90 days to respond to the claim.

As IBJ reported Aug. 18, Indiana caps the state's liability in accidents at $700,000 per person and at $5 million total per event, amounts that personal-injury lawyers say are too low in a situation involving so many victims.

Legal experts said that could result in several other entities aside from the state fair becoming targets of negligence lawsuits, including the designer and builder of the stage and the concert promoter.
 

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  • Joe- Think about this...
    IndyToddAugust 23, 2011 10:06 PM
    Dear Joe,

    I think you are overreacting. I agree that there must be some limit to "pain and suffering" and I certainly don't think anyone deserves something crazy like one hundred million dollars or more. Now, they completely deserve to have their family become a "millionaire" if they were killed. Think of this poor guy's family that is suing. He was the financial provider for a family of four and he's in his 40's. Lets just stick with conservative estimates that he would have worked another 20 years and made an average of at least $50,000 a year. That alone equates to a million dollars...so as you can see a million dollar payment to a family in a scenario like this is actually not that much of a windfall. Now, that's not even taking the actual loss of your loved one into account. Just the direct economic impact alone from lost wages is likely to be a million dollars or more in most cases. I would certainly hope that if I had been killed in this that my wife would be awarded that or more in a wrongful death suit. It's the right thing to do.
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  • No millionaires here....
    BenAugust 23, 2011 5:56 PM
    The math will be completed later, but I do not see anyone getting rich here. The lawyers pockets will certainly get much of it. With the 5 Mil cap, and the limits on the insurances of the promoter, stage maker, and others; deduct the lawyers and medical bills, it will be lean payouts anywhere. And that is not right. This is not an overheated cup of coffee. This is a real tragedy - and these people deserve more than they will ever see. Such a shame that Brizzi will see some of this money.
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  • No single fault
    JoeAugust 23, 2011 3:26 PM
    They may be limited by the state fair pool, but they can go after the stage maker, concert promoter and many other programs to add to the bank. My math is right as is yours. Yours is just short-sighted.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • Millionaire
    JohnAugust 23, 2011 1:11 PM
    When the cap is $5 million...who is going to become a millionaire? 7 deaths and over 40 injured. Your math is all wrong.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • Shame
    JoeAugust 23, 2011 9:43 AM
    It is a shame that when an incident like this happens, everyone's go to move is to sue whoever they can get there hands on. It was a terrible accident and any direct expense should be covered, but a family becoming a millionaire from such a tragedy is a tragedy in itself. This isn't the lottery. I feel terrible for the injuries and deaths and especially the families, but some are just out for blood.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment

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