A settlement agreement approved by the Pella City Council at their February 4th meeting has now been made public, and ends legal action for the estate of one of the two construction workers killed while digging underground lines for fiber in 2020.
According to court documents obtained by KNIA/KRLS, the estate of Genis Urgell-Rueda has settled a legal dispute with three telecommunications companies and the City of Pella. MCS Communications will pay $500,000, Excel Utility Contractors will pay $250,000, and NewCom Technologies and the City of Pella will each pay $50,000 to the family of the man. The settlement agreement stated that none of those entities admit liability.
In return, the plaintiff’s estate has agreed to dismiss the lawsuit, which was first filed in May 2022. Two construction workers from Richmond, Virginia died on August 1st, 2020, while installing fiber near Lincoln Elementary. The Pella Police Department at the time determined that Urgell-Rueda and 20-year-old Nelson Joani Figueroa hit an underground electric line while operating construction equipment.