Six months on and families are still dealing with the aftermath of the tragic collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge after the Dali container ship hit the bridge in the early morning hours as it was leaving on its way to Sri Lanka.
Six workers died in the accident as they were on the bridge filling potholes on an overnight shift. They fell to their deaths leaving their families behind.
All of the workers were immigrants who came to the U.S. in search of a better life and a lot of them were the primary income source for their families often working multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Families have filed wrongful death lawsuits against the owner and operator of the container ship that caused the accident.
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In late September the state of Maryland added additional lawsuits alleging the ship’s Singapore-based owner and manager, Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine Group knew the ship was not seaworthy and able to operate in U.S. waters, the Associated Press reported.
The ripple effects in the weeks and months after the accident have been tremendous not only on the families of those who lost loved ones but also on the community as a whole.
The bridge was a critical piece of infrastructure for residents in the Baltimore area and for international shipping. A list of lawsuits have been filed and millions of dollars in damage was caused.
When rebuilding finally begins — now that clean-up has been finished months after the accident — it could take months or years and a new higher design for the bridge is in the works to try and prevent another accident.
