Posted on 09/18/24
| News Source: WBAL
Baltimore, MD - Sept. 18, 2024 - Families of the construction workers who died in the March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge announced on Tuesday they plan to seek justice and shared plans to hold the ship company accountable for the deaths of their loved ones.
The three families spoke out for the first time at a news conference hosted by national Latino advocacy organization CASA.
“It was a long an agonizing night for the families, including the three families who are present right here today, as they waited for the news of their loved ones — most who never returned home,” said Gustavo Torres, CASA’s executive director. “No financial loss can compare to the loss of human life … no legal loophole should ever be able to erase the value of a human life.”
The Dali container ship lost power before the March 26 collision and collapse of the Key Bridge that killed six highway construction workers, according to an update from the National Transportation Safety Board released in June.
“Based on the preliminary investigation by the NTSB, the ship involved in the disaster had lost power several times before even leaving port, and then just two hours after leaving the Baltimore harbor, it lost power again several times over. We have so many questions of that night. What followed was nothing short of devastation,” Torres said.
The six construction workers who died were Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, Carlos Daniel Hernández Estrella, Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez and José Mynor López. All are remembered as beloved members of their community who were devoted to their families.
The families announced a claim to be filed by public interest and plaintiff-side appellate firm Gupta Wessler LLP. Torres said the families plan to file its court notice by a Sept. 24 deadline to file claims.
“We will seek justice in court,” Torres said. “We are here today because we seek truth, we seek justice, and nothing should move faster than the pursuit of truth and justice in the face of such an unimaginable tragedy.”