Two Dallas Cowboys employees, who were severely injured when the team's Valley Ranch practice facility collapsed upon them, have settled a portion of their lawsuit with the team.
Scout Rich Behm, who was paralyzed in the collapse, and special teams’ coach, Joe DeCamillis, who suffered a broken neck in the accident, will be receiving a sizable sum from both the manufacturers of the practice facility, Summit Structures LLC and Cover-All Building Systems, and companies owned by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas Cowboys lawsuit settlement results in $34 million payout for Behm and DeCamillis
In the settlement, Behm will receive roughly $19.5 million, while DeCamillis will receive about $4.5 million from Summit Structures LLC and Cover-All Building Systems.
According to The Dallas Morning News, the companies owned by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have settled on a figure of $5 million in cash and benefits for each employee, both of whom continue to work with the team.
Speaking about the settlement, Behm’s and DeCamillis' lawyer, Frank Branson, remarked that this was the largest “recovery for two individuals” that he had ever heard of.
He said in a statement regarding his clients, “They're very pleased with the results and looking forward to the future and continuing work with the Cowboys,"
The accident occurred in May of 2009, when the practice facility was torn apart and collapsed in a thunderstorm with roughly 70 people inside, twelve of whom were injured.
A study completed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology reported that there were a number of errors in the engineering of the Summit Structures facility that led to or compounded the accident.
Another person who suffered a neck injury in the collapse, tight end and long snapper Jamar Hunt, has also filed a lawsuit against Summit Structures, Cover-All Building Systems and the companies owned by Jerry Jones. Jones' companies have also filed suit against Summit.
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