Families of workers seek legal action against owner and operator of cargo ship following Maryland bridge collapse

Families of victims and a survivor of a Maryland bridge collapse filed claims for wrongful death and punitive damages against the owner and operator of the cargo ship that crashed into the bridge. The ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six construction workers and injuring others. The families seek accountability and justice to prevent future tragedies. The ship’s owner sought to limit their liability, causing outrage among the victims’ families and the city of Baltimore, which filed a claim for negligence. The Justice Department also filed a claim seeking over $100 million in damages. The ship had known issues, including dangerous vessel vibration, making it unseaworthy. The victims’ attorneys argue that profit motivated the decision to sail despite the dangers. The families are seeking damages in excess of the ship’s value and hope to ensure that no other families suffer similar losses. The survivor of the collapse, Julio Cervantes Suarez, described the tragedy, stating that the ship destroyed six families. Suarez watched his co-workers fall into the water and called out to them before he fell, the only one to survive the fall. The incident disrupted the Baltimore Port for months and will take several years and billions of dollars to repair the bridge. Ultimately, the families and survivors are seeking justice and accountability for the avoidable tragedy.

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