$9 Million Settlement in Big Dig Death Suit

A $9 million settlement has been reached in a wrongful death case involving a state trooper who died after crashing his motorcycle into walkway handrails at Boston’s Big Dig project.

The family of State Trooper Vincent Clia have settled with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, AIG Insurance, and numerous other defendants responsible for ignoring a safety hazard that killed Clia and six other motorists.

In 1992, the U.S. Department of Transportation warned the director of the Big Dig project about safety concerns over the railings, which were designed to prevent workers on the project from falling into traffic. At roughly 3 feet tall, the same height as a motorcycle seat or passenger window, the railing posed a safety risk in the event of a crash.

The director ignored the DOT’s recommendation that the rails undergo crash testing, insisting instead that they were safe.

Clia’s family wants the handrails removed or redesigned to prevent future deaths.