Baltimore County Gears Up For Legal Fight In Key Bridge Collapse

TOWSON, MD — A month after the City of Baltimore hired two law firms to pursue legal action against those responsible for the Key Bridge collapse that killed six highway workers, Baltimore County has hired two legal firms to pursue claims in the case.

The cargo ship Dali lost power and crashed into the Key Bridge on March 26, killing six members of a road crew. The disaster closed the Port of Baltimore to most shipping activity until May 20, when the Dali was freed of wreckage and the main channel cleared. The ensuing maritime slowdown cost more than 1,000 jobs.

The workers killed were José Mynor López, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, Carlos Daniel Hernandez Estrella, and Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez. The group of workers hailed from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

On Tuesday, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said the administration plans to partner with two specialty law firms — Grant & Eisenhofer P.A., which has offices in Baltimore and New York, and Bekman, Marder, Hopper, Malarkey & Perlin, LLC, of Baltimore — to pursue legal claims against all those responsible for the Key Bridge collapse.

The county plans to "aggressively take steps to hold all potentially liable parties responsible and to mitigate the extensive losses that the county, residents, businesses, and other impacted stakeholders experienced due to this devastating catastrophe," Olszewski said in a news release.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board showed that the Dali experienced electrical problems affecting the cargo ship’s power systems multiple times prior to colliding with the Key Bridge and that the vessel has a history of electrical issues, the county said.

The plan to hire the two firms will be considered by the Baltimore County Council during its work session Tuesday and is expected to be voted on during the Council session scheduled for June 3.

Read all of Patch's Key Bridge collapse coverage here.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on April 15 announced that the city is partnering with two law firms to hold any wrongdoers accountable in the shipwreck. For its legal action, the city tapped national complex issues and trial firm DiCello Levitt and Philadelphia law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky Trial Lawyers.

The City of Baltimore argued in court papers that the shipping companies in the fatal Francis Scott Key Bridge's collapse shouldn't be allowed to limit their liability, multiple reports said. The city filed legal proceedings in the U.S. District Court in Maryland in hopes of canceling a requested liability cap for the shipping companies, The Washington Post reported.

The Dali is owned by Grace Ocean Private Limited and operated by Synergy Marine Private Limited.

The companies days after the collapse asked the District Court to limit their share of the liability to $43.6 million, The Post said. Grace Ocean Private Limited is also asking the owners of cargo aboard the Dali to help pay for the salvage operation.

NBC said the city is seeking a jury trial to assess if the shipping companies should be responsible for more costs.

The city called the companies' requested liability cap "substantially less than the amount that will be claimed for losses and damages arising out of the Dali's allision [collision] with the Key Bridge," NBC said.

"None of this should have happened," the city's court filings said, according to NBC. "Reporting has indicated that, even before leaving port, alarms showing an inconsistent power supply on the Dali had sounded. The Dali left port anyway, despite its clearly unseaworthy condition."

The Post said the court filings pointed to an April 15 Associated Press report on the ship's electrical systems.

Alarms sounded on some of Dali's refrigerated containers before leaving port, indicating an inconsistent power supply while still docked in Baltimore, a source told the AP. The AP granted anonymity to the "person with knowledge of the situation" because they were "not authorized to publicly comment."

The AP's report came the same day the FBI said it boarded the Dali for "court authorized law enforcement activity."

While reports said the FBI launched a criminal investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board is evaluating the cause of the crash and developing future safety recommendations.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said her team is also examining Dali's electrical system. Investigators are working with Hyundai, which built equipment in the ship's engine room. The NTSB also requested help examining the ship's circuit breakers.

Related:

• Experts Warned Of Ship Strikes Long Before Key Bridge Collapse: Report
• 'You're Alive': Baker Among Last Drivers On Key Bridge Before Collapse
• Baltimore Port Reopens To All Ships, Channel Nears Original Width: Photos
• Cargo Ship Had Multiple Blackouts Before Striking Key Bridge: NTSB
• Key Bridge Detonation: See Photos, Video As Explosives Free Dali Ship