The City of Baltimore is preparing to take legal action against those responsible for the massive cargo ship that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge late last month.
Mayor Brandon Scott announced Monday that the city hired trial firm DiCello Levitt and Philadelphia law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky Trial Lawyers to “launch legal action to hold the wrongdoers responsible and to mitigate the immediate and long-term harm caused to Baltimore City residents.”
The city is considering suing the owner, charterer, manager/operator and the manufacturer of the Dali, which is the name of the ship that hit the bridge.
Baltimore is also considering suing any third parties that may be responsible.
“We are continuing to do everything in our power to support everyone impacted here and will continue to recognize the human impact this event has had,” Scott said. “Part of that work needs to be seeking recourse from those who may potentially be responsible, and with the ship’s owner filing a petition to limit its liability mere days after the incident, we need to act equally as quickly to protect the city’s interests.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the incident and who may be responsible for it.
The report is not expected to come out until May.
Meanwhile, FBI agents boarded the vessel early Monday morning.
The agency does not usually confirm or deny the existence of criminal investigations, however the investigative authority points to a probable criminal probe is underway.