Family of Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapse victim to talk settlement with Dali ship owners
WJZ
By Tara Lynch
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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A settlement in one victim’s case could come as soon as next month — more than a year and a half after the cargo ship Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
According to court records obtained by WJZ, attorneys for Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, one of the six construction workers killed in the collapse, will meet on November 3 to discuss a deal.
The family’s wrongful death lawsuit was filed last September against Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean, the ship’s owner and operator.
If a deal is reached, this would be the first settlement for any of the families.
WJZ reached out to a spokesperson for the ship’s owner and operator, but has not yet heard back.
An independent legal expert told WJZ he isn’t surprised the family of Castillo Cabrera is settling now before their case gets caught up in a potential appeal process.
This is just one step in a lengthy legal battle following the bridge’s collapse that could span years.
“The personal injury wrongful death claimants typically go to the head of the line when it comes to the apportionment of damages,” said Allen Black, a maritime lawyer and professor of maritime law at the University of Maryland and University of Baltimore. “It makes sense for the personal injury claimants for Mr. Cabrera’s estate to come forward now and try and resolve this matter without waiting for the whole limitation of liability issue to be resolved. That issue’s going to take several years.”
Castillo Cabrera was a Guatemala-native who lived in Dundalk. He was 26 years old at the time of the collapse.
He was one of eight men working on the bridge, filling potholes, the night the ship crashed into the bridge on March 26, 2024.
According to the family’s wrongful death claim, Castillo Cabrera’s life “revolved around working hard and being there for his parents and family”.
Castillo Cabrera’s family and the families of two other victims filed wrongful death lawsuits against Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited last September, including the family of Miguel Luna, whose wife spoke with CBS News last fall. She says her husband was a hero.
“The only thing I would love for people to know is that, for me, my husband is a hero, alongside his five co-workers,” Maria del Carmen Castellon, the wife of Miguel Luna Gonzalez, said in Spanish.
There is also a fight by the ship’s owner and operator to limit their liability in this case.
Right now, the liability fund is capped $44 million, but if liability is not limited, billions could be available to any claim with physical damages, including paying for the new key bridge.
“Lawyers should never forecast, but I think it’s an uphill battle for the ship interest,” Black said.
This is just one side of what is a very complex case. The judge will likely decide if limited liability should be granted to the owner and operator of the ship next year.
There is also a pending criminal investigation by the FBI and the Department of Justice.
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