Parents sue over son's death in crane collapse

The parents of the Bellevue man killed last year when a construction tower crane crushed his downtown apartment are suing the companies involved in the construction project.

Matthew Ammon was in his apartment next to the Tower 333 project on Nov. 16 when the 217-foot-high crane suddenly collapsed on his building. Ammon, a patent attorney for Microsoft Corp., was the sole fatality.

Investigators with the state Department of Labor and Industries fined Tower 333 general contractor Lease Crutcher Lewis $9,200 for failing to ensure that the crane was inspected and used properly, as well as other problems.

Magnusson Klemencic Associates, the engineering firm that designed the crane's foundation, also was fined $5,600 because the base did not meet manufacturer's requirements.

Both firms were the target of the lawsuit filed Thursday in King County Superior Court.

"Our son was a totally innocent neighbor of a construction project," Larry Ammon, the victim's father, said in a statement. "Matt did nothing wrong. He, and frankly all Bellevue residents, had the right to expect that the companies responsible for the crane would make sure it was safe."

Ammon's mother, Kathleen Gaberson, said she felt forced to sue because the companies "are refusing to acknowledge their responsibility" for the disaster that killed the couple's only child.

Lease Crutcher Lewis Chief Executive Bill Lewis said his company has been working with others involved in the project to determine who shares the blame for the collapse.

"The companies involved in the crane event acknowledge that one or more of them are responsible and are analyzing the failure to determine which companies are," Lewis said. "We will continue to work toward an expedient resolution of all claims, including that of the Ammon estate."

Requests for comment to MKA were not answered Thursday.