Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC News As the sun rose in Baltimore on March 26, Maria del Carmen Castellon received unexpected news: Her husband, Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, was missing in the cold, dark waters of Maryland’s Patapsco River.
“I heard my husband’s son knocking on the door,” she recalls. “It was news that I didn’t want my wife to hear. At that moment, I wish I had wings and could fly over and save him.”
Luna, a 49-year-old father of three from El Salvador, was one of eight workers repairing a pothole on Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. When it hit a 948-foot (289 m) cargo ship. – M/V Dali – Estimates are that 3,000 to 4,000 tons of debris fell into the lower ship’s passageway.
Six workers, all from Latin America, died when the bridge collapsed.
It took more than five weeks for Luna’s body to be discovered in early May.
“That was the hardest day of my life,” Castellon said. “It opened a wound in my heart that will never heal.”
Now, six months after the accident, the families of the three dead workers are suing the shipping company, Grace Ocean Private Limited, claiming the company’s “negligence” and actions directly caused the bridge collapse and the deaths of their loved ones.
“We are fighting for justice,” Castellon said, speaking in Spanish to reporters at the Baltimore offices of Casa, an immigrant-focused advocacy group. “Justice means preventing future tragedies.”
Getty ImagesThe National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the accident, but a preliminary report released in May said the Dally lost power four times in less than 12 hours before it hit the Key Bridge.
“There’s still a lot we don’t know,” said Matthew Wesler, an attorney representing the three families. “But in our view, [the repeated loss of power] “We had to fully assess what was wrong with the ship and lead it to fix the problem.”
Earlier this year, in federal court, Grace Ocean sought to limit her legal burden from the disaster.
Responding to queries from the BBC, a spokesperson for Grace Ocean said it was “expected” the family would seek compensation, but the company would “not comment further on the substance of any claim at this time”.
This lawsuit is one of several faced by Synergy and Grace Ocean since the accident.
The city of Baltimore and local business owners also sued the two companies, claiming the vessel was not seaworthy when it set sail in March.
George Flor Sapunar/CASASpeaking to reporters in Baltimore on Tuesday, Mr. Castellon recalled that the day before the crash, the couple went to look at a rental home where they planned to open a small restaurant.
The two had already worked together on a food truck, and Luna helped him out when he wasn’t working on a construction site.
“We looked out the window and talked about a future where he wouldn’t have to suffer in a dangerous job,” Ms. Castellon said, crying. “Those moments were full of laughter and love,” she added.
“But that dream was shattered that morning when we lost him,” Mr. Castellon added.
That night, as he left for work, he left her a letter, ending with the words, “I love you.”
“I’m keeping it in my mind right now,” she added.
Attorneys and immigration advocates who work with the families said they also hope the case gets attention. Often dangerous but important work – For immigrants to the United States.
