BOISE, Idaho — The family of two men from Guatemala who died in the hangar collapse near the Boise Airport in late January filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court Tuesday against several of the companies involved: Big D Builders, Inland Crane, Steel Building Systems, and Speck Steel.
Attorney Enrique Serna announced the lawsuit to media during a news conference Wednesday late morning. He represents the families of Mario Sontay Tzi and Mariano Coc Och, who were on a lift when the structure collapsed.
"There's a lot of explanation to do on the side of the defendants as to why they acted the way they did on January 30 and January 31," he said.
Serna said the companies used plans the City of Boise did not approve to build the hangar at the Jackson Jet Center.
The lawsuit alleges they conspired to use the plans after "principals of Jackson Jet" threatened to penalize them because Big D Builders was taking too long to finish the project.
It states the companies rushed the job and were grossly negligent and reckless.
"You have a lot of people saying that the day before the collapse, cables were popping, braces were popping, pieces were not conforming," Serna said.
The suit also claims the companies ignored warnings from employees about unsafe working conditions, stating Sontay Tzi, Coc Och, and everyone else should not have been on-site the day the hangar collapsed because of unsafe working conditions.
KTVB reached out to the companies. Big D Builders said it disputes the allegations and is not able to comment further because the litigation is pending.
An Inland Crane spokesperson expressed its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, stating, "While we mourn the loss of our partners, friends, and colleagues, all evidence demonstrates that Inland Crane and our employees are not at fault for this tragedy. We are confident that the judicial process will exonerate Inland Crane and our employees.”
Steel Building Systems and Speck Steel said, "Family is the core of who we are at Steel Building Systems. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the victims and their families. We cannot speak to a majority of the complaints filed as SBS was not the installer of the metal building, nor did we possess or demonstrate any authority over job site operations. The structure was in the process of being installed."
The families are suing for damages, although the lawsuit does not specify how much.
"We intend to prosecute this to the end," Serna said. "Practices like this kill people; it clearly killed my clients."
The attorneys filed a notice of tort claim against the City of Boise in June. The city is not listed in the lawsuit because he said their investigation showed they are not liable.
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