Baltimore Bridge hit by large ship in the dark bodies sought in nightime river

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Originally Posted by Mendip

This is a big problem with cars these days that have electric windows and no manual crank... once the electrics go due to water immersion you're pretty well buggered

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YEP WAS TAUGHT SAME:deadhorsebig: ANOTHER PLUS TO DRIVING A TRACTOR

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Originally Posted by Mendip

Maritime law is complicated and you don't get a more litigious society than The States. The only winners here will be the lawyers.

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This guy explained it so I almost got it. Almost

MV Dali and the Francis Scott Key Bridge | March 31 Update & Who Pays for the Salvage? (youtube.com)

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Originally Posted by Mendip

I'm not sure if the kids appreciated my prep talk or whether ......

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You will be getting a call from the school secretary shortly.

"Mr. mendip, your daughter has been telling her class what to do if your in a car in the water."

(Oh no, your thinking.)

"Mr. Mendip, do you think", ....

(Your thinking what have thet been saying)

..... that you would be able to speak to our morning assembly, if you have time ?




I'm sure they have a badge ready to pin on your shirt.

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Originally Posted by Mendip

To be honest I'm not sure if the kids appreciated my prep talk or whether I traumatised them, but at least they're now prepared if ever I pick them up from school one day pissed, and end up driving into Korat city moat. :)

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damn this made me laugh... exactly same with my kids. I think i am giving helpful info but probably they are just traumatized and have one more thing to worry about now. Used to drill them on what to do if i cut my arm off at home with the chainsaw (we live a bit out in the countryside) and other fun stuff like that. always about staying calm first.. panic after the fact.

But i have to say.. one time a couple years ago as a 15 year old my daughter was in a very traumatic and terrifying life or death emergency situation and while the adults around her panicked and froze (justifiably so) she stayed calm and handled shit as best as she possibly could. She was amazing. She absolutely broke down emotionally afterwards and fell apart, but in the moment she stayed calm, kept her wits and did what needed to be done. So maybe all those weird talks actually did sink in.... she told me later that she just tried to remember me always telling her "stay calm, think clearly" .

The owner and manager of a cargo ship that rammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge before the span collapsed last week filed a court petition Monday seeking to limit their legal liability for the deadly disaster.

The companies’ “limitation of liability” petition is a routine but important procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law.

A federal court in Maryland ultimately decides who is responsible — and how much they owe — for what could become one of the costliest catastrophes of its kind.

Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd. owns the Dali, the vessel that lost power before it slammed into the bridge early last Tuesday. Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., also based in Singapore, is the ship’s manager.

Their joint filing seeks to cap the companies’ liability at roughly $43.6 million. It estimates that the vessel itself is valued at up to $90 million and was owed over $1.1 million in income from freight. The estimate also deducts two major expenses: at least $28 million in repair costs and at least $19.5 million in salvage costs.

The companies filed under a pre-Civil War provision of an 1851 maritime law that allows them to seek to limit their liability to the value of the vessel’s remains after a casualty. It’s a mechanism that has been employed as a defense in many of the most notable maritime disasters, said James Mercante, a New York City-based attorney with over 30 years of experience in maritime law.

“This is the first step in the process,” Mercante said. “Now all claims must be filed in this proceeding.”

Cases like this typically take years to completely resolve, said Martin Davies, director of Tulane University Law School’s Maritime Law Center.

“Although it’s a humongous case with a very unusual set of circumstances, I don’t think it’s going to be that complicated in legal terms,” he said. “All aspects of the law are very clear here, so I think the thing that will take the time here is the facts. What exactly went wrong? What could have been done?”

A report from credit rating agency Morningstar DBRS predicts the bridge collapse could become the most expensive marine insured loss in history, surpassing the record of about $1.5 billion held by the 2012 shipwreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off Italy. Morningstar DBRS estimates total insured losses for the Baltimore disaster could be $2 billion to $4 billion.

Baltimore Key bridge collapse: Cargo ship'''s owner and manager seek to limit legal liability | AP News