For families of Key Bridge collapse victims, a search for justice begins

BALTIMORE — Years after immigrating to the U.S. and settling in the Baltimore area, Maria del Carmen Castellon was working on a new chapter in her family’s American dream, hoping to expand her successful food truck business into a Salvadoran restaurant.

Her husband, Miguel Luna, was right next to her. Years of welding and construction work were starting to take their toll on his health, but he kept working because he couldn’t afford to retire yet. He was filling potholes in the road during a night shift when disaster struck. A huge container ship lost power and crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridgecausing Luna and five other men to plummet to their deaths when the steel span collapsed into the water.

Several months later, Luna’s family is still busy building a future without him.

“Miguel had boundless energy, not because he wanted to, but because he had to provide for our family,” Castellon said in Spanish, through an interpreter, at a news conference Tuesday. “It created a wound in my heart that will never heal.”

She appeared alongside relatives and lawyers of other victims to announce their plans to take legal action against the Dali’s owner and manager, arguing that the companies had acted negligently and caused problems on the ship before the March 26 collapse.

A last-minute emergency call from the ship’s pilot allowed police officers to stop traffic toward the bridge, but they had no time to warn the road crews. Most of the men were in their construction vehicles on a break and were given no warning. One survived a fall from the bridge by manually opening the window of his truck and climbing into the icy waters of the Patapsco River.

After the disaster, divers worked day and night to recover the bodies of the victims. The underwater wreckage blocked the main channel to Baltimore Harbor for months, disrupting shipping lanes on the East Coast and temporarily displacing many longshoremen.

All six victims were Latino immigrants who came to the U.S. seeking better-paying jobs and opportunities for their families. Most had lived in the country for years, including Luna, who grew up in El Salvador. He left behind five children.

Luna often went straight from a construction job to helping out at the food truck, where his wife served pupusas and other Salvadoran dishes. The business attracted a diverse clientele and a loyal following in their tight-knit Latino community south of Baltimore.

Castellon said the case symbolized their shared vision for the future. Just days before his death, Luna surprised her with a visit to the store they hoped to rent.

“Every mile we drove in that food truck, every vegetable we cut, brought us one step closer to our dreams,” she said. “Those moments were filled with laughter, love, and plans for what our lives could look like.”

She remembered how he stopped by the food truck the last time before he went to work. She gave him food and he gave her a kiss.

Castellon said that in seeking justice for her family, she hopes to prevent future tragedies by advocating for safer working conditions. She wants more robust protections for immigrants who too often take dangerous jobs that no one else wants to do. She showed off some of her husband’s old welding uniforms and noted holes in the fabric from flying sparks.

Gustavo Torres, executive director of the Maryland-based advocacy group CASA, said it should come as no surprise that the victims of the collapse were immigrant workers. He said their suffering should not be swept under the rug by corporate interests.

“No financial loss can compare to the loss of human life,” Torres said at the news conference, calling the victims “six irreplaceable souls” whose loved ones are trying to pick up the pieces after their worlds were destroyed in an instant.

The Dali is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and operated by Synergy Marine Group, both of Singapore. The companies filed a petition to limit their civil liability, a routine procedure for cases under U.S. maritime law, a few days after the collapse. The joint filing seeks to limit their liability to about $43.6 million in what could be the most expensive maritime accident case in history.

Darrell Wilson, a spokesman for the ship’s owner, said the victims’ upcoming challenge was expected and noted that there is a Sept. 24 deadline for such filings in the case. He declined to comment further on the ongoing litigation.

Multiple other interested partiesincluding city officials and local businesses, have already filed counterclaims accusing the companies of negligence. Filings on behalf of the victims and their families are expected in the coming days.

Preliminary findings from a National Transportation Safety Board investigation indicate that the Dali experienced A series of electrical problems before and after leaving Baltimore harbor. The ship was bound for Sri Lanka when it suffered a power failure and lost control at the worst possible time. The FBI launched an investigation research to the circumstances leading to the crash.

A plan is being worked on to rebuild the bridge, but that could take years.

Meanwhile, Castellon said she plans to continue her dream of opening a restaurant — now in honor of her husband.

“I know he’s up there watching me and celebrating all the victories with me,” she said. “I’m going to continue to make him proud.”