New settlement brings some accountability to mother of victim killed in Key Bridge collapse

For more than two years, the families of the construction workers who died when the Key Bridge collapsed have been seeking answers and closure. 

Now, just days before a civil trial is set to begin in Baltimore, they have all settled their claims against the ship's owner and operator. 

Maynor's story 

Maynor Suazo Sandoval, 39, was in his work truck high above the frigid Patapsco River when the Key Bridge collapsed on March 26th, 2004.

Just hours earlier, his mother, Rosa, messaged him on WhatsApp.

"He said, 'I'm on my way to work. I'll call you after I get off of work,' and that never happened," said her attorney, Judson Lipowitz. "She's had this emptiness ever since, and she's burdened with the grief of the tragedy—losing her son. A mother should never have to bury a son."

For the first time, Lipowitz is speaking about a settlement reached this week with Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean Private Limited, the operator and owner of the Dali, the massive cargo ship that lost power and careened into the bridge. 

Lipowitz is with the Towson-based law firm Azrael, Franz, Schwab, Lipowitz, and Solter. 

"You're never going to replace her son. There's no amount of money, but she was able to get closure and not have to live with this litigation for the next two years," he told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "Maynor and his mom spoke every single day. They would not miss a day ever. They had a bond that required them to talk to each other because their love was so intense."

Maynor was the youngest of Rosa's seven children and the father of two himself. 

She encouraged him to come to the United States from Honduras for a better life. 

Less than a year earlier, his father died—a double emotional blow for the family.

"Maynor is not there anymore, and she has nothing left of Maynor other than her memories, and the family has really held her together," Lipowitz said. "She was in shock when it first happened, and she was physically disabled as a result of the emotional toll that it took on her, and that's another reason why she settled the case, too. It was time for her to—not to move on—but move forward."

Her son's body was trapped underwater in the debris for 11 days. 

"They had no idea what was going to be recovered and when, and it tormented them. Those memories are going to be with them forever," Lipowitz said.

Terms of the settlement are confidential.

Lipowitz said the family has always wanted answers.

"They wanted to know what happened, how it happened, why it happened, and they needed accountability and they needed responsibility, he said. "Justice is a hard concept to define, but [Rosa] knows that she did everything that she could do. She does not want to leave any stone unturned as to those questions that she had about how did it happen."

Troubles on the Dali 

Federal criminal charges are now pending against Synergy Marine.

Prosecutors allege the company used an illegal manual flushing pump that caused the second blackout. 

The National Transportation Safety Board found that a loose wire had caused the initial blackout, leaving the Dali on a collision course with the bridge. 

"There was overwhelming evidence of negligence. The ship never should have left the dock," Lipowitz said. "This is the largest transportation disaster, probably ever."

Synergy has not commented on the settlements but strongly pushed back against allegations of wrongdoing when criminal charges were filed earlier this month. 

"[The Department of Justice] is criminalizing a tragic accident. The allegations in the indictment are baseless and have nothing to do with the Dali's allision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge," Synergy said in a statement at the time. "The DOJ's reference to the vessel's use of the flushing pump is wholly irrelevant to the cause of the allision and runs contrary to the conclusions reached by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board following a comprehensive 20-month maritime accident investigation."

More settlements 

The estates of all of the workers who died have now settled with Grace Ocean and Synergy: Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Maynor Suazo Sandoval, Carlos Daniel Hernandez Estrella, Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, and Jose Maynor Lopez.

The men were filling potholes on the center span of the bridge at the time of the collapse. They were originally from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.

The lone survivor, Julio Cervantes Suarez, has also reached a settlement.

According to his attorneys, he only managed to get out of his truck because it had a manual window he was physically able to roll down—and then he was able to get to the surface of the Patapsco River, clinging to a piece of concrete before his rescue. 

For all of these families, the pain of this tragedy will never leave.

"It's a life sentence for Maynor's mother. This case has resolved, but her grief will never resolve," Lipowitz said. 

He noted there is likely going to be further litigation against other parties.

BGE and Brawner Builders also reached settlements with the ship owner and operator. 

Upcoming civil trial 

For those claimants who did not settle, a civil trial will get underway on Monday morning in downtown Baltimore with Judge James K. Bredar presiding and ultimately making a judgment on liability. 

The trial is expected to last throughout June. 

Bredar declined Synergy and Grace Ocean's attempt to postpone it following the announcement of federal criminal charges.

Many crew members onboard the ship during the tragedy have pleaded the Fifth in depositions. Some still remain in Baltimore more than two years after the tragedy. 

Grace Ocean and Synergy have vigorously argued they should not be held liable for the full amount and claimed the tragedy was beyond their control. 

Some of the arguments stem from an 1851 law that limits liability to the value of the ship and its contents—roughly $44 million. It was cited after the 1912 sinking of the Titanic. 

The state of Maryland previously settled its case for $2.25 billion.

That money is supposed to go toward the cost of the replacement bridge, which has ballooned.