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A timeline of the Baltimore bridge collapse that killed 6 people

The operator of the massive cargo ship that struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge is now facing criminal charges for actions leading up to and after the crash that killed six people more than two years ago.

The Dali container ship’s power loss caused it to lose propulsion and steering and ram into the bridge’s supports, leading to the deadly collapse and closing Baltimore’s port for months.

In addition to the new charges announced Tuesday, the companies that own and operate the ship have faced a slew of legal challenges, many of which have been resolved with settlements.

Maryland officials have projected it will cost $4.3 billion to $5.2 billion to replace the heavily trafficked bridge, which isn’t expected to reopen to traffic until late 2030.

Here’s a timeline of what happened in the crash and significant developments since then:

March 26, 2024

12:39 a.m.: The ship left the Port of Baltimore for Sri Lanka. Flying under a Singapore flag, the massive container ship measured about 985 feet (300 meters) long and 157 feet (48 meters) wide.

Between 1:25 a.m. and 1:28 a.m.: The ship lost power and its crew issued a mayday call as it traveled toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge at about 9 mph (15 kph).

Police officers had about 90 seconds to stop traffic from driving onto the bridge in both directions.

Around 1:29 a.m.: The cargo ship rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, striking one of its supports and plunging it into the river within seconds.

March 27, 2024

Federal investigators began collecting evidence from the ship.

March 30, 2024

Teams of engineers and a slew of floating cranes removed the first piece of steel wreckage, part of a long and complicated process to stabilize the site to allow divers to search for the still-missing construction workers and to open alternate shipping channels for the Baltimore port.

April 1, 2024

Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd., which owned the ship, and Synergy Marine PTE Ltd., the ship’s operator, filed a court petition seeking to limit their legal liability.

May 7, 2024

The body of the sixth missing construction worker was recovered. All of the victims were Latino immigrants working an overnight shift filling potholes on the bridge.

May 14, 2024

Federal investigators released preliminary findings related to the ship’s electrical blackouts while it was docked in Baltimore but stopped short of saying those were related to another power loss in the moments before the ship crashed into the bridge.

September 2024

National Transportation Safety Board documents showed investigators had found a loose cable in a transformer and breaker system that had been switched on by crew members before departing the Baltimore port.

Federal officials on Sep. 18 filed a lawsuit accusing the ship’s owner and operator of ignoring known electrical problems and seeking to collect $100 million.

The state of Maryland followed, as did a group of Baltimore longshoremen who filed a class action lawsuit arguing the companies should reimburse them for wages lost while the port was closed.

Oct. 24, 2024

The owner and operator of the cargo ship agreed to pay more than $102 million in cleanup costs to settle the lawsuit brought by the Justice Department.

Feb. 4, 2025

Maryland officials unveiled designs for a new Francis Scott Key Bridge to be built taller than the original, costing $1.9 billion.

March 20, 2025

Federal investigators said Maryland’s transportation agency had not completed a recommended vulnerability assessment of the Francis Scott Key Bridge before its collapse, which would have shown the risks of a ship strike.

July 31, 2025

The ship’s owner and operator filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court against the company that built the ship, Hyundai Heavy Industries, alleging negligence in the design of a critical switchboard on the ship.

Nov. 17, 2025

Maryland officials more than doubled the estimated cost of replacing the Francis Scott Key Bridge, forecasting it at between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion.

Nov. 18, 2025

The National Transportation Safety Board said the blackout that led the ship to lose propulsion and steering before it crashed was caused by a loose electrical wire. Investigators believed the crew might have discovered the loose wire ahead of time using infrared thermal imaging.

April 9, 2026

The ship’s owner and operator said they were making settlement agreements with Maryland and ACE American Insurance Co. The $350 million settlement with the insurance company matched the amount ACE paid to Maryland, an amount that represented the limit of the state’s policy.

May 12, 2026

Federal prosecutors announced criminal charges against the ship’s operator and a senior employee accused of making decisions that led to the crash and covering up what happened.

Also Tuesday, Maryland’s attorney general disclosed the amount — $2.24 billion — of the previously announced settlement between the state and the ship’s owner and operator

Grandfather recovering from surgery after bison attack at Yellowstone sent him flying

By WTOP Staff
(CNN) — What started as a yearly trip for a grandfather and his grandson turned into a visit to a Montana hospital after a bison attack at Yellowstone National Park.Carl McDaniel, 65, was hospitalized with a broken femur after a bison charged and tossed him into the air Friday evening at the park’s Bridge Bay Campground, according to McDaniel and the National Park Service.He was visiting the park with his 13-year-old grandson when they decided to take a walk after dinner.Along the way, they encountered a large bison that appeared to be rolling around in the dust and was not bothering anyone, McDaniel told CNN.“We were about a hundred yards away,” McDaniel said. “He was not aggressive; he was not having problems and we took some pictures and decided to walk on.”McDaniel and his grandson snapped a quick photo and continued with their walk, video of the encounter shows. At the same time, a truck drove by, and the driver laid on his horn in what appeared to be an attempt to get the bison to move, McDaniel said. There is no audio on the video.The bison then appeared to become agitated and began running toward the pair.“There was little time to decide what to do. At that point, he was within 100 yards; he could be to us in seconds, so I told my grandson to run in one direction and I went the other to try and draw him away,” McDaniel said.The animal then pushed McDaniel with the top of its head, sending him flying into the air before he hit the ground, the grandfather said.“When I was on the ground immobile, unable to move, he was right on top of me. He could have stomped on me, he could have gored me, he could have done almost anything to take my life, and he did not do so,” McDaniel said.After McDaniel hit the ground, photographer Mike MacLeod, who captured the encounter on video, had to step in, he told Cowboy State Daily.“I was really afraid he was going to gore the guy on the ground, so I stopped videotaping and ran at the bison, yelled loud, and was trying to be as big and intimidating as possible,” MacLeod said.After the bison took off, people rushed over to McDaniel, who was in a lot of pain, MacLeod told Cowboy State Daily. Yellowstone EMS arrived soon after, he said.“Park emergency medical personnel responded and transported him to a nearby hospital,” the National Park Service said in confirming the incident in a statement to CNN.This is the second bison attack at Yellowstone this year. A 12-year-old was injured near Mud Volcano on June 26, according to the agency.After Friday’s attack, “all the people that were there were amazing; they were all positive, they were trying to help as best they could,” McDaniel said. A nurse started tending to his leg, while another bystander held his head.He was then transferred to a hospital in Bozeman, a two-hour journey during which he was in intense pain. He said he was grateful for the paramedic who helped him along the way.McDaniel broke his femur, the body’s strongest bone, in four places near his hip and suffered several bruises. He had surgery Sunday and could stand by Monday.“I will be doing physical therapy for the next few days to get to walk, but it was not as catastrophic as it could have been,” McDaniel said.The National Park Service advises visitors to stay at least 25 yards away from bison at all times and to never approach the animals. “If the bison follows you, spray bear spray as you are moving away, and seek cover behind nearby trees or cars,” the agency said.Correction: An earlier version of this story understated how far visitors should stay away from bison. The National Park Service advises visitors to stay at least 25 yards from them.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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