35W Bridge Collapse Victims Praise Special Masters Panel

Summing up the 35W panel's $36.6 million job, survivors and victim's families said it was handled well.

When they added up all the losses incurred by survivors of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse and the families of those who died, the compensation panel came up with a number exceeding $99 million.

That was almost three times the size of the available state fund -- $36.6 million. Had the fund not been set up, the state's total liability for the collapse would've been capped at $1 million. Divided among the 179 claims, that would have worked out to only several thousand dollars per person. Settlements ranged from $4,500 for those who suffered only minor injuries or property damage to more than $2 million for the most seriously hurt.