Families of Victims Will Sue Ship Owner Over Key Bridge Disaster
The families of three construction workers who died in the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore are suing the owner and manager of the cargo ship Dali, which struck the bridge in the early hours of March 26, according to a report by WBAL.
At a Tuesday event organized by the Latino advocacy group CASA, relatives of Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, José Mynor López, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera announced their intention to seek damages from Grace Ocean Private, the owner of the Dali, and Synergy Marine Group, its manager. In addition to seeking compensation, they are advocating for policy reforms to better protect construction workers, many of whom, like the deceased men, are immigrants.
The lawsuit, to be filed by Washington, D.C.-based Gupta Wessler LLP, is expected before the September 24 claims deadline, WBAL reported. It will challenge a petition from the ship's owner and manager, filed in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore, that aims to limit the companies' liability for the collapse.
The families have not disclosed the amount of compensation they are pursuing.
Six construction workers in total lost their lives in the collapse. Along with Gonzalez, López, and Cabrera, Alejandro Hernández Fuentes, Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval, and Carlos Daniel Hernández Estrella also died.
The workers, employed by Brawner Builders based in Hunt Valley, Maryland, were repairing potholes on the bridge when the ship collided with one of its pylons, causing the structure to give way. One additional worker fell into the Patapsco River but was rescued by authorities.
“No financial loss can compare to the loss of human life ... no legal loophole should ever be able to erase the value of a human life,” CASA executive director Gustavo Torres said during the event.
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