Just days before the civil trial on claims against the owner and operator of the cargo ship Dali was to begin, Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine settled w
rongful death suits with the families of the six construction workers killed when the ship crashed into Baltimore’s Key Bridge.
Court documents show those settlements are among more than 30 settlements that have been reached as of May 29 in the massive litigation over damages for the
bridge collapse. The settlements include reimbursements for workers’ compensation payments and cargo losses.
Details or amounts of the wrongful death settlements and most other agreements have not been disclosed.
The six men working on the bridge were killed when the Dali experienced two power outages and crashed into the bridge, causing it to collapse and the workers to fall into the Patapsco River.
Wrongful death settlements were reached with the families and estates of Carlos Daniel Hernandez Estrella, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Miguel Angel Luna, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Maynor Suazo Sandoval, and José Mynor López.
A settlement was also reached in the personal injury claim by Julio Cervantes Suarez, a bridge worker who plunged into the river and was rescued.
In light of the settlements, Justice James K. Bredar has been asked to postpone the civil trial that was scheduled to start today. Bredar indicated that motion would b
e heard this morning. He previously denied a request by Synergy to delay the trial so that it could focus on criminal charges related to the bridge tragedy brought against it by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The civil trial is to determine the liability of Grace Ocean and Synergy, both of which have invoked the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851 to limit their liability to the current
value of the ship, about $44 million. However, they have far exceeded that limit in settlements of $2.5 billion with the state of Maryland last month and $102 million with the federal government in 2024.
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The law firm representing the estates of the deceased workers called the settlements “bittersweet.”
“While we are pleased to reach this settlement on behalf of the families of those who lost their lives March 26 and the only person to survive a fall into the Patapsco
River, it is bittersweet because these families won’t have an opportunity to experience the seasons of life with their husbands, fathers, brothers and sons,” said L. Chris Stewart of Stewart Miller Simmons.
There have been seven settlements with Brawner Builders and its insurer Zurich American Insurance for reimbursements of workers’ compensation payments made to
the Brawner employees killed and injured in the tragedy, according to a May 29 filing.
Ama Frimpong, an attorney with the support organization We Are CASA who represented som
e of the deceased workers’ families, welcomed the legal settlements while noting that they do not replace loved ones lost to this tragedy.
“While it is very important that some legal claims have been resolved, the pain these families have endured remains. Their focus will continue to be on rebuilding the
ir lives, healing from trauma, supporting one another, and honoring the memory of their loved ones after a tragedy that forever changed their lives,” Frimpong said in a statement.
