The owner and operator of the container ship that took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month should not be allowed to skirt liability for the deadly and costly collapse because the vessel was “unseaworthy” when it left port, attorneys for the city of Baltimore asserted in court filings Monday.
Maryland
Baltimore claims Dali was ‘unseaworthy,’ should pay for bridge collapse
The bridge’s collapse was caused by “negligence of the vessel’s crew and shoreside management,” the city claimed in court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland.
The Dali lost power on March 26 as it was exiting the Port of Baltimore and careened into one of the Key Bridge support pillars, crumpling the 1.6-mile span above where eight members of a construction crew were working on the roadway. Six of them died; two survived.
Days after the fatal collapse, the Dali’s owner, Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and manager, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., filed a petition in the U.S. District Court in Maryland, asking a judge to cap how much money they could be asked to pay in liabilities at about $43.6 million.
But attorneys for the city said in Monday’s filing that there should be no such cap, because liability cannot be limited if there is evidence of fault — an allegation they wrote could be proven at trial.
The court filing cites an Associated Press report published April 15, in which someone identified as a “person with knowledge of the situation” said that alarms on the Dali’s refrigerated containers sounded while the ship was docked in Baltimore. The filing did not detail other evidence to support the city’s claims.
Those alarms, the court filing claims, are indicative of an “inconsistent power supply” that was “not investigated or, if investigated, not fixed.”
“None of this should have happened,” attorneys wrote.
The city also made several broad claims against the owners and operators of the Dali, asserting they had failed to properly train the ships crew, follow safe work and operational procedures, properly equip the vessel, conduct adequate inspections and provide proper management of the vessel. The city did not provide any evidence or examples to explain those allegations.
Attorneys for the city did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday afternoon.
A spokesperson for Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean declined to comment Monday citing ongoing federal investigations and the legal proceedings.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation have been investigating the crash since the collapse last month. The NTSB is expected to release a preliminary report into its probe in early May.
The FBI has also opened a separate criminal probe into the disaster.
In filing a claim against Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, the city said the disaster “single-handedly shut down the Port of Baltimore, a source of jobs, municipal revenue, and no small amount of pride for the City of Baltimore and its residents.” The city said it would bear the impact of cleanup, tax losses and strain on Baltimore’s roads diverted from the now missing Key Bridge.
Maryland
Howard County police investigate fatal officer-involved shooting in Columbia
COLUMBIA, Md. (WBFF) — An adult man was killed in a police-involved shooting in Columbia early Sunday, prompting an investigation by the Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division.
Howard County police said officers were called on March 1, at about 12:09 a.m., to an apartment building in the 6400 block of Freetown Road for a report that involved an adult male threatening to harm himself.
According to police, at about 12:22 a.m., officers encountered the man outside the building. The man approached officers while holding a knife and ignored commands to drop the weapon, police said. Officers then shot the man.
ALSO READ | Gas leak explosion, fire in Prince George’s County leaves 1 injured
Officers attempted life-saving measures, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Officersrecovered a knife near the man.
No officers were injured, and the officers were equipped with body-worn cameras.
The Independent Investigations Division is investigating.
Anyone with information about this incident, including cell phone or private surveillance video, is asked to contact the IID at (410) 576–7070 or by email atIID@oag.maryland.gov.
The IID willgenerally releasethe name of the decedent and any involved officers within two business days of the incident, although that period may be extended, if necessary,pursuant toIID protocol.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (4)
TheIID willgenerally releasebody-worn camera footage within 20 business days of an incident. There may be situations where more than 20 days is necessary, including if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews, if there are technical delays caused by the need to shield the identities of civilian witnesses, or to allow family members to view the video before it is released to the public.
Maryland
AM showers Sunday in Maryland
Maryland
Pilot killed after small plane crashes in woods of Hollywood, Maryland
Aircraft located in wooded area
HOLLYWOOD, Md. – First responders, including Maryland State Police from the Leonardtown Barrack, deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office and EMS, responded to the area.
Maryland State Police Aviation Command assisted in the search and ultimately located the aircraft in a wooded area.
Preliminary investigation indicates a small ultralight aircraft crashed for reasons that remain under investigation.
Pilot pronounced dead
Authorities said the operator was the sole occupant of the aircraft and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The identity of the pilot has not been released pending notification of next of kin.
Officials said no photos of the crash scene will be released.
Investigation ongoing
The Maryland Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been notified.
The investigation remains active.
The Source: This article was written using information provided by local emergency officials.
-
World4 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts4 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO4 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Politics1 week agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT
-
Technology1 week agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
News1 week agoWorld reacts as US top court limits Trump’s tariff powers