Around 1:30 am on Tuesday, March 26th, the cargo ship Dali hit a pylon that supported Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. The collision caused the bridge to collapse, claiming the lives of six construction workers and sending shockwaves through the country.
The Dali, a 985-foot container ship leased by Maersk and traveling under the Singaporean flag, was leaving Baltimore Harbor en route to Sri Lanka. In footage of the incident, the Dali appears to lose power twice, just seconds before hitting the bridge’s support structure at a relatively brisk 8 knots (about 9 mph). Of the eight workers on the bridge at the time, only two were rescued alive from the water. The ship’s crew was unharmed.
In response, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has initiated an investigation of the Dali’s electronics and the bridge’s structural integrity. The Coast Guard disclosed that the Dali underwent routine engine maintenance not long before the accident. So far, there is no indication of outstanding mechanical issues at the time of the incident.
The federal government recently announced an initial round of emergency funding, although it may take years before traffic and shipping routes will operate normally.
Despite media sensationalism and political maneuvering, it is first and foremost a story of human tragedy. We offer our condolences and deepest sympathies to the families of those workers who died in this bizarre and frightening event.
Legally speaking, infrastructure incidents are as nuanced as they are devastating. This is complex legal territory at the intersection of personal injury law, maritime law, construction regulations, and so forth.
Personal injury claims due to infrastructure failures involve a web of stakeholders. Eventually, multiple insurance companies, local public authorities, and the shipping firm could all be held liable to varying degrees. Those findings will not only affect the amounts of claims due to the families of the deceased, but will determine who must pay and in what manner. There may be avenues for prompt compensation, but full legal proceedings and/or settlements are likely to take years. Until then, we can only speculate as to who is liable for what.
Here in the Seattle area, we observe and mourn this tragedy from a distance, but many in our own community have also suffered harm due to others’ actions.
If that’s you, or someone you love, then Bridge Personal Injury Law Firm offers hope and support.
You may be staring down a long path to recovery—physically, mentally, and financially. Even if your compensation claim sounds straightforward, you need the support of a veteran legal team who knows the system and will navigate it for you.
