Overview

• David O’Donnell, 27, fell 140 feet to his death when a scaffold failed under a 44 mph gust at the University of Chicago Hospital site on June 6, 2024.
• Preliminary investigations found structural weaknesses, improper materials and inadequate connections at a critical corner in a system designed for 85 mph winds.
• Adjustable Forms Inc. and Turner Construction Company faced the wrongful death suit and agreed to pay $23.5 million to O’Donnell’s estate exactly one year after his death.
• Attorney Louis A. Cairo said the settlement was reached after about eight hours of negotiation and is expected to clear without objection from a judge.
• Survivor Jeffrey Spyrka and nine other injured ironworkers continue to pursue separate lawsuits over the same collapse.