BALTIMORE (NEWSnet/AP) — Crew members on cargo ship Dali may go home, under an agreement that allows lawyers to question them amid investigation into the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.
It would mark the first time any of the crew members leave the U.S. since the collision on March 26.
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At a hearing Thursday, U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar confirmed that the agreement allows crew mates to return home, but still must be available for deposition.
On Tuesday, attorneys asked the judge to prevent crew members from returning to their home countries. Eight members were scheduled to depart, according court filings. Those are among roughly two-dozen total crew members, all of whom hail either from India or Sri Lanka.
The judge asked two attorneys at the hearing, William H. “Billy” Murphy Jr. and Jason Foster, why they didn’t notify him sooner that they had agreed to the deal regarding depositions. The attorneys, who represent claimant Damon Davis, withdrew an emergency request for a hearing, less than an hour before it was scheduled to begin.
After the hearing, Murphy said witnesses typically are questioned under oath at depositions held after documents are shared with the parties.
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