For families of Key Bridge collapse victims, a search for justice begins

BALTIMORE (AP) — Years after immigrating to the U.S. and settling in the Baltimore area, Maria del Carmen Castellón was working toward a new chapter of her family’s American dream, hoping to expand her successful food truck business into a Salvadoran restaurant.

Her husband, Miguel Luna, was right there beside her. Years of welding and construction jobs had begun taking a toll on his health, but he kept working hard because he couldn’t afford to retire yet. He was filling potholes on an overnight shift when disaster struck. A massive container ship lost power and slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, sending Luna and five other men plunging to their deaths as the steel span collapsed into the water below.

Several months later, Luna’s family is still struggling to construct a future without him.

“That day, a wound was opened in my heart that will never heal, something I would not wish on anyone,” Castellón said in Spanish, speaking through a translator at a news conference Tuesday.

She appeared alongside other victims’ relatives and attorneys to announce their plans to take legal action against the owner and manager of the Dali, arguing the companies acted with negligence and ignored problems on the ship before the March 26 collapse.

A last-minute mayday call from the ship’s pilot allowed police officers to stop traffic to the bridge, but they didn’t have time to alert the road work crew. Most of the men were sitting in their construction vehicles during a break and had no warning. One survived falling from the bridge by manually opening the window of his truck and climbing out into the frigid waters of the Patapsco River.

Following the disaster, salvage divers worked around the clock to recover the victims’ bodies. The underwater wreckage blocked the main channel into the Port of Baltimore for months, disrupting East Coast shipping routes and putting many longshoremen temporarily out of work.

All six of the victims were Latino immigrants who came to the U.S. seeking better-paying jobs and opportunities for their families. Most had lived in the country for many years, including Luna, who grew up in El Salvador. He left behind five children.

Luna would often go straight from a construction shift to helping at the food truck, where his wife served up pupusas and other Salvadoran dishes. The business attracted a diverse clientele and had a loyal following in their close-knit Latino community south of Baltimore.

Castellón said the business symbolized their shared vision for the future. Just days before his death, Luna surprised her with a visit to the storefront they hoped to rent.

“Every mile driven in that food truck, every vegetable chopped took us a step closer to our dreams,” she said.

She recalled how he stopped by the food truck before heading to work the last time. She gave him dinner and he gave her a kiss.

In seeking justice for her family, Castellón said, she hopes to prevent future tragedies by advocating for safer working conditions. She wants more robust protections for immigrant workers who too often find themselves taking dangerous jobs no one else is willing to do. She displayed a pair of her husband’s old welding uniforms, noting holes in the fabric caused by flying sparks.

Gustavo Torres, executive director of the Maryland-based advocacy group CASA, said it should come as no surprise that the victims of the collapse were immigrant workers. He said their suffering must not be brushed under the rug by corporate interests.

“No financial loss can compare to the loss of human life,” Torres said at the news conference, calling the victims “six irreplaceable souls” whose loved ones are trying to pick up the pieces after their worlds were destroyed in an instant.

The Dali is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and managed by Synergy Marine Group, both of Singapore. The companies filed a court petition days after the collapse seeking to limit their legal liability, a routine procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law. The joint filing seeks to cap their liability at roughly $43.6 million in what could become the most expensive marine casualty case in history.

Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for the ship’s owner, said the victims’ upcoming challenge was anticipated and noted there is a Sept. 24 deadline for such filings in the case. He declined to comment further on the pending litigation.

Several other interested parties, including city officials and local businesses, have already filed opposing claims accusing the companies of negligence. Filings on behalf of the victims and their families are expected in coming days.

Preliminary findings from a National Transportation Safety Board investigation show that the Dali experienced a series of electrical issues before and after leaving the Port of Baltimore. The ship was destined for Sri Lanka when it experienced a power blackout and lost steering at the worst possible moment. The FBI launched an investigation into the circumstances leading up to the crash.

A plan is underway to rebuild the bridge, but it could take years.

Meanwhile, Castellón said she plans to continue pursuing her dream of opening a restaurant — now in her husband’s honor.

“I know he is up there watching down on me, celebrating all of the victories with me,” she said. “I will continue to make him proud.”

Maria del Carmen Castellón, the wife of Miguel Luna, a welder who died during the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, speaks during a press conference, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Gustavo Torres, executive director of advocacy organization CASA, speaks during a press conference among relatives of Miguel Luna, a worker who died during the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

A portrait of Miguel Luna, a worker who died during the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, is displayed among articles of his welding gear, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, during a press conference in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Maria del Carmen Castellón, center, the wife of Miguel Luna, a welder who died during the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, speaks during a press conference, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

A portrait of Miguel Luna, a worker who died during the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, is displayed among articles of his welding gear, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, during a press conference in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Maria del Carmen Castellón, the wife of Miguel Luna, a welder who died during the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, becomes emotional while speaking during a press conference, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Maria del Carmen Castellón, the wife of Miguel Luna, a welder who died during the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, places a rose near a portrait of her husband and his welding gear before speaking during a press conference, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Muhammad Ali. Evander Holyfield. Lennox Lewis.

Three boxers from an elite club of heavyweight greats to have been three-time world champions.

Anthony Joshua can put his name on that exclusive list by disposing of a British rival who sees himself as the future of the sport’s marquee category.

He can do it on quite the stage, too.

Joshua, a darling of British boxing ever since winning Olympic gold at the London Games in 2012, is looking to complete his late-career rebuild by beating Daniel Dubois to reclaim the IBF belt in front of around 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday.

It is one of the biggest crowds for any British sporting event — and that’s something Joshua is used to after selling out the UK’s biggest stadia for years. Indeed, it was at Wembley where he produced his greatest performance in defeating Wladimir Klitschko in epic fashion in 2017 to become a two-belt world champ.

As for the 27-year-old Dubois, a somewhat accidental world champion after taking the IBF crown vacated by Oleksandr Usyk, this is fairly new territory. It’s his first title defense and second world championship fight — Joshua has had 12 of them, of which 10 have been for unified titles — as he looks to establish his name atop the heavyweight scene.

A win for Dubois (21-2, with 20 KOs) and it will be seen as a definitive changing of the guard. The pretender will then be the big man in town, with huge riches in the offing in potential future fights against Usyk or Tyson Fury, who meet in a rematch on Dec. 21 in Saudi Arabia for Usyk’s WBA, WBC and IBO heavyweight belts.

For Joshua (28-3, with 25 KOs), it would mean climbing the mountain once again — or even hanging up his gloves.

“I’ve been to the well,” Joshua said. “Dan’s fighting someone who is willing to die in there.”

The 34-year-old from Watford, just outside London, faced a career reset after losing back-to-back fights against Usyk, soon after his first pro defeat — a shocker to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019.

Joshua got rid of his long-time trainer, set up camps in the U.S. instead of England, and tried to change his strategy. He had lost twice to Usyk, a smaller man, and it made him realize boxing is as much about skill and ring craft as power and brutality.

The rebuild has seen him win four straight fights — against Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and then former UFC champion Francis Ngannou — and each performance has been better than the last.

His devastating punching power is still there, too. Just ask Ngannou, who was knocked out cold in the second round with an unblocked right hand.

Questions are still being asked of Joshua, however. Does he belong back in the first tier of the heavyweights? Will that long-awaited fight with Fury — trailed for almost a decade now — ever happen?

“Everything I’ve done in the past, we have to draw a line (through) because I can’t take that with me on Saturday night,” Joshua said. “In that moment, that’s all that matters.”

Dubois, nicknamed “Dynamite,” told The Associated Press this week he is looking to legitimize his status as the newest world heavyweight champion with what would be the biggest win of his career. He only gained the IBF belt in late-June after Usyk relinquished it, to no longer be undisputed champ.

“I need to show them on the night what I’m all about and then make the world respect me,” Dubois told the AP, “and make them put some respect to my name.”

Joshua is a bigger puncher and Dubois’ reputation might still be wounded after he took a knee and was counted out against another Brit, Joe Joyce, in 2020 for his first loss.

Dubois’ loss to Usyk in Wroclaw, Poland, is his only experience of big-time boxing and he said it made him grow “from a boy to a man.”

Joshua made that leap a long time ago and quickly became a national treasure, unbeaten for his first six years as a pro — three of them as a world champion — and establish an aura of invincibility.

After a chastening few years, he can reach those heights again on Saturday when the challenger, unusually, will start as the favorite.

AP Sports Writer Ken Maguire contributed to this story.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

British boxer Daniel Dubois arrives at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London, Tuesday Sept.17, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

British boxer Daniel Dubois arrives at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London, Tuesday Sept.17, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

FILE - Britain's Daniel Dubois, left, and Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk during their world heavyweight title fight at Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, file)

British boxer Anthony Joshua arrives at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London, Tuesday Sept.17, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

FILE - British former world champion Anthony Joshua, right, and MMA fighter Francis Ngannou fight during the heavyweight boxing showdown at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, March 9, 2024. (AP Photo, file)

British boxer Anthony Joshua arrives at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London, Tuesday Sept.17, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)