In the Media

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: One Year Later

March 25, 2025

Maritime attorney José Cot (New Orleans) was quoted in a March 25, 2025, article in Law360 titled “Baltimore Bridge Collapse: One Year Later.” In it, he discusses the Francis Scott Key Bridge accident in Baltimore, Maryland, and its impacts on future investigations.

McGlinchey Stafford PLLC attorney José Cot, who specializes in maritime and insurance litigation, pointed out that under the applicable federal regulations, neither the Federal Highway Administration nor AASHTO can require a bridge owner to complete a vulnerability assessment study for a bridge designed before the release of AASHTO guidelines in 1991.

Experts anticipate that the Dali’s owner and manager will seek to offload at least some responsibility for certain damages by bringing up the fact that the MDTA didn’t do the assessment. That “would go to the issue of the pre-casualty condition of the bridge and potential comparative fault that could reduce the MDTA’s recovery,” Cot noted.

“There are specific rules that apply to the admissibility of NTSB investigations and reports in litigation; findings and reports are generally not admissible, but there are ways in which the underlying facts can be developed and introduced at trial,” Cot said. “This issue will certainly be the subject of tactical or strategic maneuvering by the parties and pretrial motion practice. These are also issues that will be brought up in the context of any settlement discussions.”

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