BALTIMORE — She knew the danger.
After all, 46-year-old Sybil DiMaggio had a decade of experience working on Maryland’s roads when her life and those of five other construction workers ended in an instant on I-695 in March of last year.
The loss is just as fresh to her family today as it was more than 18 months ago.
“After losing my mother, essentially every day is kind of like a waking nightmare,” said Nora DiMaggio, “and we just wish that we could have her back.”
“Sybil was just such a loving, energetic, fantastic person,” said George Durm, Sybil’s husband, “I miss her everyday.”
The family is now suing the state and its contractor on the site, Concrete General, for negligence, which set the stage for the workers’ deaths.
The 43-page complaint spells out a number of unsafe practices and protocols, which were overlooked at the worksite, which left the construction workers vulnerable.
They include missing signs, a failure to reduce the speed limit and the absence of blocking vehicles in the path of errant traffic.
“The combination of its negligent acts culminated in exposing the workers to a 50-yard opening with zero protection from oncoming traffic made this accident utterly preventable,” said Attorney Michael Belsky.
The suit seeks economic damages, as well as compensation for pain and suffering, but the family says this is about far more than money.
It’s about justice.
“We want accountability for what has happened for our loved one,” said Dylan DiMaggio, Sybil’s son, “Not a day goes by that we don’t think about her and it’s difficult every single day.”
