200 turn out for 30th anniversary of L’Ambiance tragedy

By John Burgeson Updated 5:41 pm EDT, Monday, April 24, 2017

BRIDGEPORT — It’s probably safe to say that if you were in or around Bridgeport on Thursday, April 23, 1987, at 1:36 p.m., you remember where and when you were when you first heard of the L’Ambiance Plaza collapse, the worst construction accident in Connecticut’s history, instantly claiming the lives of 28 workers. ... For thousands living, working and going to school within a half-mile radius of the lift-slab collapse, the news was announced by the shaking of ground followed by the rumble of huge prestressed concrete slabs pancaking on top of one another.

Then there was silence, a “deafening silence,” as recalled by the Rev. Michael A. Boccaccio who, in 1987, was assigned to St. Augustine’s Cathedral, which became a source of comfort to the scores of people left adrift by the loss. The cathedral, and its school, Kolbe Cathedral High, were less than 200 yards from the disaster and its acres of twisted beams and broken concrete.

It was in Kolbe’s gymnasium where scores of family members waited, hoping against hope in the days that followed that their husbands and fathers would somehow be found alive. They were being counseled by social workers and clergy of all faiths. But there was no good news to be had; all 28 had died within a second or two.

“When a deceased worker was found, the silence was tangible, deafening, and I dare say it was almost beautiful to see everyone coming together in that moment of sadness,” Boccaccio said. “We was so taken by this experience, my respect for civil servants was multiplied by one million.”

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L'Ambiance Plaza collapse

Date: April 23, 1987
Location: Bridgeport, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41.1782°N 73.1964°W
Cause: Building collapse
Outcome: 28 construction workers killed

The L'Ambiance Plaza collapse was one of the worst disasters in modern Connecticut history. L'Ambiance Plaza was a 16-story residential project under construction in Bridgeport, Connecticut at the corner of Washington Avenue and Coleman Street. Its partially erect frame completely collapsed on April 23, 1987, killing 28 construction workers. Failure was possibly due to high concrete stresses on the floor slabs by the placement process resulting in cracking, ending in a type of punch-through failure. Several observers suggested the collapse was preventable and highlighted the deficiencies of the lift slab construction technique. This collapse prompted a major nationwide federal investigation into lift slab construction as well as a temporary moratorium on its use in Connecticut.

In November 1988, less than two years after the disaster, a $41 million settlement of all legal claims arising from a disaster was achieved through mediation, avoiding years of potential litigation. Two judges–Robert C. Zampano of U.S. District Court and Frank S. Meadow of Connecticut Superior Court—mediated the dispute "through informal conferences among nearly 100 lawyers representing the victims' families and 40 contractors and subcontractors."

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