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
Large fire destroys building at Maryland summer camp; no one injured
A big hearth destroyed a eating corridor at a Maryland summer time camp Wednesday, a blaze that took over 100 firefighters three hours to manage however brought about no accidents.
The fireplace destroyed the eating corridor at Camp Ethereal, an in a single day camp for Jewish boys established in northern Maryland nearly a century in the past, officers mentioned.
Camp Ethereal Director Marty Rochlin mentioned the eating corridor, often known as the White Home, is historic and identified for its views overlooking a valley.
“Fortunately, it’s only a constructing,” Rochlin mentioned at a information convention. “And so camp can proceed, as a result of camp is the individuals.”
The fireplace was reported to Frederick County’s emergency communications focus on 7:27 a.m., county hearth spokesperson Sarah Campbell mentioned. A sheriff’s college useful resource officer and a Maryland state trooper first on scene noticed smoke from the second flooring.
Over 100 firefighters labored for round three hours to deliver the hearth underneath management, she mentioned.
The camp is in a rural space not removed from the presidential retreat at Camp David. Firefighters used tankers and replenished water with a close-by pond, in addition to two swimming swimming pools, to battle the blaze, Deputy Hearth Chief Kenny Poole mentioned.
Firefighters had been extinguishing scorching spots Wednesday so investigators can go in, Campbell mentioned.
The investigation is ongoing, and there was no details about the origin or explanation for the hearth, she mentioned.
Camp is in session and stays so. No campers or workers members had been within the constructing when the hearth started, and there have been no accidents, Campbell mentioned.
The camp had short-term plans and was engaged on long-term options with the lack of the eating corridor, Rochlin mentioned.
Camp Ethereal and its sister camp for ladies, Camp Louise, collectively cowl about 700 acres. They’re round 40 and 60 miles northwest of Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
Camp Louise was established in 1922, adopted by Camp Ethereal two years later, in line with the camps’ web site.
The 2 camps will maintain a joint centennial celebration in 2023, on the 12 months between the 100-year mark for every camp.
“We hope that we’re in a position to do it for an additional 100 years, as nicely,” Rochlin mentioned.
The camps had been began by Lillie and Aaron Straus to provide kids in Baltimore a summer time retreat, in line with the camps. They’re the one brother-sister Jewish in a single day camps within the nation, in line with the camps.
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.
Health First has named Maryland health care company executive Terry Forde as its new president and CEO. Forde will take over in August.
Forde is president and CEO of Adventist HealthCare, headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Adventist HealthCare is one of Maryland’s largest employers.
Forde will succeed Steve Johnson, who retired as Health First president and CEO in February 2023. Until Forde arrives in August, Kent Smith, chair of Health First’s board of trustees, will remain as interim CEO of Health First.
Johnson retires from Health First: Health First CEO Johnson retiring as head of Brevard’s largest health care company
Health First is Brevard County’s largest employer, with a staff of more than 9,500. It operates four hospitals ― Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach, Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Palm Bay Hospital and Viera Hospital — as well as health insurance plans, a multispecialty medical group, and outpatient and wellness services.
“In Terry, we found an experienced and sympathetic leader who shares our passion for patient safety, is committed to providing high reliability, has a proven history of success, and tenacity in building strong, lasting culture,” Smith said. “The Space Coast welcomes Terry, and looks forward to his guidance to further Health First’s legacy of providing exceptional quality and compassionate care.”
In a statement released by the two hospital companies, Forde said: “It has been an honor to work with the dedicated leaders and team members of Adventist HealthCare, especially during the midst of a pandemic and significant change in the health industry. I am so glad to have been part of an organization dedicated to being the best choice for both patients and team members, and look forward to joining Health First to promote vibrant well-being in Florida.”
Health First was founded in 1995 when Cape Canaveral Hospital and Holmes Regional joined together to create a integrated health care delivery network and not-for-profit system.
Health First now is at a crossroads, recovering from financial losses that hit many hospital companies in recent years. It broke ground this year on a new $410 million hospital and medical office complex off State Road 520 on Merritt Island that will replace the current Cape Canaveral Hospital in 2027. And it recently expanded its health insurance coverage territory.
Emmanuel Asiedu, chair of the Adventist HealthCare board of directors, said Forde “has been a tireless advocate for championing our mission, driving improvement and expanding our services in order to provide physical, mental and spiritual healing to every person, every time. We are grateful for his many achievements and for the leadership system he established that will continue to guide our delivery of high-quality, compassionate care to our community.”
Founded in 1907, Adventist HealthCare, is a faith-based, not-for-profit comprehensive health care system consisting of three community hospitals, one managed academic medical center and two specialty hospitals. It has more than 50 facilities across the Greater Washington, D.C., region. It has more than 10,000 employees and a network with more than 2,000 physicians.
Forde has served in a range of leadership roles over the past 17 years with health care organizations in Kansas, Missouri and Colorado.
From 2007 to 2011, he was chief executive officer for Parker Adventist Hospital in Parker, Colorado. From 2003 to 2007, he was chief financial officer and chief operating officer for Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver. During his tenures, he helped guide the two organizations through renovation and expansion, including two major capital projects totaling $177 million.
Forde received his Bachelor of Science in business administration from Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1993, and his Master of Business Administration from Mid-America Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas, in 1996.
Adventist HealthCare is not affiliated with Altamonte Springs-based AdventHealth, which owns a 27% stake in Health First as part of a $350 million deal that took effect in January 2020.
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
The Rural Maryland Council is excited to host five Fiscal Year 2025 grant information sessions this spring.
These information sessions are important opportunities for participants to meet RMC staff and learn about the Council’s two grant programs – the Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund (RMPIF) and the Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund (MAERDAF). See below for upcoming grant information sessions and visit the website for more details
- Tuesday, April 23, 2024, 12:00pm to 2:00pm in Northeast Maryland – Register Here
- Thursday, April 25,2024, 12:00pm to 2:00pm in Southern Maryland – Register Here
- Tuesday, April 30, 2024, 12:00pm to 2:00pm in Western Maryland – Register Here
- Thursday, May 2, 2024, 12:00pm to 2:00pm in Eastern Maryland – Register Here
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