Cargo Ship Owner & Operator Sued by Families Of Victims In Baltimore Bridge Collapse

The family members of six workers killed in the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge have filed lawsuits against the owner and operator of the cargo ship that hit the bridge.

The lawsuits, filed in Maryland federal court on Friday, target the ship’s registered owner, Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, and its operator, Synergy Marine Group. The lawsuits claim that the companies negligently allowed the vessel to depart despite mechanical issues that resulted in the collapse.

The six workers killed in the March 26 accident were identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Carlos Daniel Hernandez Estrella, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval, Miguel Angel Luna, and Jose Mynor Lopez.

Their relatives are seeking unspecified damages, claiming that the ship’s crew could have detected the tragedy and stopped it from occurring.

Julio Cervantes Suarez, a worker who survived the collapse, has also filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for his injuries. According to his claim, Cervantes was in his truck when it fell into the Patapsco River when the bridge collapsed.

Darrell Wilson, the spokesperson for Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, confirmed the filing of the claims, stating that they were expected ahead of a deadline. Wilson refused to speak on the specifics of the lawsuits, but stated that the companies plan to present their case in court.

Craig Sico, an attorney representing the family of Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval, stated that the lawsuits were part of a legal effort by the victims’ families. He told Reuters that the crew of the cargo ship Dali, which collided with the bridge, may have predicted the accident given the ship’s mechanical problems.

The US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine earlier this week. The department accuses companies of intentionally ignoring or mishandling mechanical faults that led to the accident.

The federal lawsuit seeks at least $100 million in damages to pay the government’s expenditures of responding to the disaster and removing the wreckage. The clean-up activities enabled the waterway to reopen in June.

The cargo ship Dali lost power early on March 26, hitting a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and causing a portion of the structure to collapse into the river. The six workers were on the bridge when the incident occurred, leading to their tragic deaths.

On April 1, Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine filed a petition in Maryland federal court seeking to limit their liabilities.

They estimated the ship and its cargo’s current value at around $43 million, hoping to limit their financial liability to that amount. Claimants must submit their claims by September 24.

Brawner Builders, the construction company that employed the workers, also filed a complaint on Wednesday, claiming damages for the loss of personnel and construction equipment destroyed in the collapse.

Ace American Insurance, also known as Chubb, sued Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, trying to recover $350 million in insurance payouts paid to the Maryland Transportation Authority after the bridge’s collapse.

Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine representatives have not responded to the lawsuits, including Chubb’s claim.

Reference: Reuters, NBC News

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