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Survivor Files 1st Lawsuit in Miami Bridge Collapse; 2nd Lawsuit Expected

The first lawsuit has been filed against the companies involved in the design and building of the bridge that collapsed at Florida International University.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on behalf of Marquise Rashaad Hepburn. He was seriously injured as he rode a bicycle under the bridge as it collapsed last week. The lawsuit says a car swerving to avoid the falling concrete struck Hepburn.

Hepburn's attorney did not detail his injuries during a news conference Monday, but said he is now on a number of medications.

"He remains in a bad way and he's recovering," attorney Matt Morgan said.

Hepburn is seeking damages in excess of $15,000, although Morgan estimated lawsuits could top $1 billion in claims, NBC News reported.

The negligence lawsuit seeks the damages from the entities involved in building the bridge. They include Munilla Construction Management and FIGG Bridge Engineers. Both companies say they will cooperate with multiple investigations into the collapse that killed six people.

The lawsuit says cracks in the span should have been taken seriously and traffic should have been diverted during any testing.

MCM and FIGG did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment about the lawsuit, but have previously said they are working with investigators.

The family of Alberto Arias, who was killed in the incident, may also file a lawsuit, pending a press conference on Tuesday.

"This is an unexpected and shocking loss for the Arias family. As they grieve, they remain pained by so many unanswered questions. Now they begin this journey to finding these answers," family attorney Yesenia Collazo said in a statement.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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