Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse Trial Delayed After Settlements

A federal judge has put on hold the highly anticipated civil trial concerning the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after several last-minute settlement agreements resolved most of the outstanding claims connected to the incident.

The trial had been scheduled to start this week and was expected to last approximately five weeks. It relates to the March 2024 accident in which the Singapore-flagged containership Dali suffered a power failure and struck a support column of the bridge, causing the structure to collapse. Six road workers carrying out maintenance work on the bridge lost their lives.

On Monday, US District Judge James Bredar agreed to postpone the case indefinitely while he reviews legal issues that could lead to additional settlements and possibly remove the need for a trial entirely.

Bredar expressed dissatisfaction with the timing of the agreements reached last week, including settlements covering all remaining claims tied to the deaths of the six workers.

“I’m frustrated on behalf of the public [and] the court,” Bredar said, while noting that civil lawsuits are often settled shortly before trial proceedings begin.

The majority of unresolved claims now involve alleged financial losses suffered by businesses and public authorities in the aftermath of the bridge collapse. None of the parties with remaining claims requested that the trial proceed as originally planned.

The delay comes less than three weeks after US prosecutors announced criminal charges against Singapore-based ship manager Synergy Marine and Chennai-based Synergy Maritime. Prosecutors claim the companies knowingly operated with an unsuitable fuel pump and subsequently provided misleading information to investigators.

Synergy Marine has denied the accusations, maintaining that the incident was a maritime accident that should be evaluated through technical and regulatory channels rather than through criminal prosecution.

The civil case follows a separate $2.25 billion settlement reached in April involving the state of Maryland, Dali owner Grace Ocean Private Ltd, and Synergy Marine.

One of the remaining claimants is the city of Baltimore, which is seeking damages for economic harm caused by the loss of one of the city’s key transportation routes.