A B737 PARKED ON A TXWY AWAITING PASSAGE OF A LCL TSTM IS HIT BY A FREE-ROLLING BAGGAGE CART ON THE SIDE OF #1 ENG AT BWI; MD.

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PUSHED BACK FROM GATE; TSTM WAS APCHING FIELD RAPIDLY AND WHEN ASKING FOR CLRNC TO TAXI; WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 22 ON TXWY P. WE POSITIONED THE PLANE AS INSTRUCTED AND WERE SITTING STATIONARY WITH THE PARKING BRAKE SET. DURING THE SHORT TAXI; WINDS WERE BLOWING VERY HARD (ALL WINDSOCKS WERE STRAIGHT OUT) WITH VERY HVY RAIN. VISIBILITY ESTIMATED AT LESS THAN 1/4 MI. ALSO DURING TAXI; ZZZ GND ADVISED US FLT OPS WERE CURRENTLY SUSPENDED UNTIL THE TSTM PASSED; HENCE OUR CLRNC TO PARK AT A LOCATION AND STOP. CAPT ADVISED ME HE WAS OFF GND FREQ TO MAKE A PA TO PAX. I WAS MONITORING BOTH GND AND COMPANY FREQS. BOTH FREQS WERE VERY BUSY. I HEARD A RADIO CALL 'ACFT HOLDING SHORT NEEDS TO MOVE.' A FEW SECONDS LATER A SECOND CALL CAME; 'COMPANY ACFT ON GATE Z NEEDS TO MOVE.' I REPLIED 'COMPANY ACFT GATE Z IS COMPANY NUMBER; SAY AGAIN.' A REPLY CAME BACK 'MOVE.' THE CAPT CAME BACK FROM HIS PA AT THIS TIME. I LOOKED OVER BEHIND THE CAPT AND THROUGH HIS #3 WINDOW SAW A RUN-AWAY BAGGAGE CART HEADED STRAIGHT FOR OUR ACFT. THE ANGLE OF THE CART WAS SUCH I COULD NOT HAVE SEEN IT EARLIER AS IT WAS BLOCKED BY THE CAPT'S HEAD. THE CAPT SAW THE CART AT THE SAME TIME; RELEASED THE PARKING BRAKE AND ADDED PWR. JUST AS THE ACFT STARTED TO MOVE; WE FELT A DULL THUD AS THE CART IMPACTED THE OUTBOARD SIDE OF #1 ENG. WE SET THE BRAKE; OBSERVED NO ABNORMAL INDICATIONS; BUT SHUT DOWN #1 AS A PRECAUTION. APPARENTLY THE BAGGAGE CART BRAKE WAS SET BUT WAS SET EITHER NOT OPERATIONAL OR WORN. BETTER ATTN TO PREVENTATIVE MAINT WOULD PROBABLY HAVE HELPED. RADIO CALLS WERE VERY VAGUE AND; UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE; OUR CALL SIGN OR TAIL NUMBER WERE NEVER USED. INITIAL CALLS CAME FROM ANOTHER CARRIER RJ HOLDING ON THE RAMP WHO GOT ZZZ GND'S ATTN. BAGGAGE CART CAME FROM GATE X AREA ACROSS GATE Y TO HIT OUR ACFT ON GATE Z.