Emotional Civil Trial Over Scaffold Collapse

On April 8, Travis County District Judge Scott Jenkins heard final arguments in a civil trial involving a construction accident, which led to the wrongful death of three workers.  The scaffold collapse occurred on the University of Texas’s west campus in Austin, where the workers were erecting a condominium. A scaffold collapse led to the death of the workers. The widow of deceased worker Raudel Ramirez Cervitos, as well as the two children he left behind, traveled from Mexico to attend the trial.  The mother of the deceased worker, Joel Irias Cervitos, made the trip from Honduras to attend. Judge Jenkins offered his condolences to the victim’s family members and mentioned losing a son of his own three years ago.  Jenkins and the family members began to tear up in the emotional closing arguments.“The one thing that helped us heal is to love, is to love more,” Jenkins said. “I hope you’re able to do that.”Lawyers representing the families of the victims argue that the scaffold—which American Mast Climber designed—was built without an inspection from a safety engineer. Investigators determined that a rusty bolt had failed on the scaffold before its collapse in the construction accident. Greater Metroplex Interiors was the other third-party company contracted to work on the construction project. American Mast Climber claims that Greater Metroplex Interiors misused the scaffolding.  Greater Metroplex Interiors and another third-party company working on the project, Andres Construction, agreed to a $2.8 million settlement with the families.