Families Of 6 Key Bridge Collapse Victims Reach Settlement With Dali Owner, Operator

BALTIMORE, MD — The families of five victims and one survivor of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse have settled with the owner and operator of the Dali cargo ship just days before a civil trial was scheduled to begin, according to a report.

Notices of settlement were filed with the U.S. District Court on Thursday, the Baltimore Sun reported. Details of the settlement were not disclosed.

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According to the filings and their attorneys, the families of Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Jose Mynor Lopez, Miguel Luna and Carlos Hernandez settled their cases against Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited. Julio Cervantes Suarez, the lone member of his construction crew to survive the bridge collapse, also reached a settlement.

The collapse also killed Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval. It's unclear if his family plans to settle their claims as well.

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The men were killed when a portion of the Key Bridge collapsed after it was struck by the Dali, which suffered two electrical blackouts that led to major equipment failure hours before the collision.

The crew was on the bridge patching potholes on Interstate 695 when the collision happened in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024.

Findings by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed the bridge collapsed about 13 seconds after being hit. One worker described the impact of the Dali ship as a "crumbling thunder noise."

Earlier this month, the state of Maryland also reached a settlement with Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited. It came just hours after the U.S. Department of Justice filed federal criminal charges against the companies.

In a statement, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said the settlement resolves claims brought by his office on behalf of multiple agencies, including the Maryland Transportation Authority and the Maryland Port Administration.

The settlement did not resolve claims against the Dali's shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries, which the National Transportation Safety Board found to be at fault after the Dali lost power and collided with the bridge.

“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sent shockwaves through Maryland and caused damages on a scale this State had never seen,” Brown said in a statement. “This $2.25 billion settlement reflects the full measure of accountability we were able to secure from the vessel interests — and our pursuit of justice is not finished. We will continue to press our claims against the shipbuilder whose fault helped bring this bridge down.”