$100 Million Bridge Lawsuit!
Washington, Sep 18 (EFE).-
The US government filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the two companies that own the ship responsible for the collapse of a bridge in Baltimore in March.
The legal action seeks to compel the companies, based in Singapore, to pay over 100 million dollars for the costs associated with disaster response and wreckage cleanup, according to a statement from the US Department of Justice.
A vessel owned by Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine PTE LTD struck the Francis Scott Bridge in Baltimore in late March, leading to its collapse and the deaths of six construction workers who were performing repair work on the road.
“With this civil claim, the Justice Department is working to ensure that the costs of clearing the channel and reopening the Port of Baltimore are borne by the companies that caused the crash, not by the American taxpayer,” stated US Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The lawsuit, filed in a Maryland court, accuses the companies of acting “negligently” by failing to address the vessel ‘s various technical issues that ultimately led to the accident.
“This was an entirely avoidable catastrophe, resulting from a series of eminently foreseeable errors made by the owner and operator of the DALI,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division and one of the prosecutors handling the case.
Shortly after the accident, Grace Ocean filed a motion asking a judge in Maryland to limit the company’s liability to the value of the vessel, which they estimate to be around 42.5 million dollars.
The US Department of Justice’s motion opposes the company’s claims.
With this lawsuit, the federal government joins the city of Baltimore, which filed another lawsuit against the shipowners in April.
The families of the six deceased, all migrants from Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras, have also indicated that they will file their respective lawsuits against the companies.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the widow of Miguel Luna, one of the workers who died in the accident, stated that she seeks justice in the case on behalf of “all essential workers.” EFE
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