The family of a man who died after being hit by a dump truck in downtown St. Paul will be awarded $8.5 million in a wrongful death lawsuit settlement.

Peter Michael Davis, 61, was killed at a construction site near the intersection of East 7th Street and Wabasha Street North in September of 2022.

According to an order filed in Ramsey County, nearly $3.3 million will be paid to SiebenCarey, P.A. for attorney fees. The remaining balance of $5.2 million will be distributed to Davis’ family.

Court documents state that the lawsuit was filed on behalf of Peter Davis’ widow, Kristi Davis, against Dawson James Richard Barber and Ti-Zack Concrete, Inc. — the driver and company he worked for.

Attorneys for the Davis family say Barber tested “presumptive positive” for cocaine and THC after the crash. They added that the defense destroyed evidence, violated federal drug testing protocols, failed to adequately train the driver, and more.

“Part of the settlement included money for the agony suffered by Davis from the moment he was first struck to the time he lost consciousness and died,” said SiebenCary. “This award results from a new law in Minnesota granting relief for the pain a person suffers prior to death in wrongful death cases.”

Kristi Davis said her husband was a decades-long civil servant, working 40+ years in the St. Paul Regional Water Services Department. She also said he gave much of his free time back to the community.

The most concerning part of it all, Kristi Davis said, was the alleged lack of safety training and precautions taken at the site where her husband was killed. Kristi Davis also said the defendant did accept her request to hire a safety director and implement new-hire safety training for drivers.

“There is no amount of money that will bring my husband back, but he still has colleagues and friends who work in the field with the contractors. I needed to do what I could to help protect them in the future so that this traumatic event does not happen to anyone else,” she said.

“We think if the rules were followed, Peter would be alive today,” added lead attorney for the family, Jeffrey Sieben. “So that’s the main message, is there are good rules, but take them seriously. And people deserve to come home.”

Kristi Davis also started the Peter M. Davis Foundation in her husband’s name as a means of continuing his legacy of giving back, she said. 

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to Ti-Zack for comment and will update this article if a response is received.