“If I had stopped to talk to someone for a minute, I wouldn’t be here today.” The story of one of the last drivers to cross the Baltimore Bridge

“If I had stopped to talk to someone for a minute, I wouldn’t be here today.” The story of one of the last drivers to cross the Baltimore Bridge
“If I had stopped to talk to someone for a minute, I wouldn’t be here today.” The story of one of the last drivers to cross the Baltimore Bridge
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Date of update: 04/01/2024 15:09
The date of publishing:

04/01/2024 14:52

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, with a length of 2.57 km, collapsed on Tuesday after a cargo boat violently collided with it. PHOTO: Profimedia Images

A man who was on his way to work in the Baltimore area at the time of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge told CNN about his experience. He is one of the last drivers to cross the bridge before a freighter crashes violently into it and causes it to collapse.

“If I had stopped to talk to someone for a minute, I wouldn’t be here today.” A Baltimore Bridge Survivor’s Story

On the night of March 26, shortly after 1 a.m., Larry DeSantis was on his way to his second job in the Baltimore area. DeSantis said he was probably among the last people to get off the bridge before the fatal collision. In an interview with CNN, he recalled the road he crossed as he focused on “the guys working on the bridge” and drove carefully. “I really didn’t see the ship. I just focused on what was in front of me,” he said.

The only indication that something was wrong, in his opinion, was that there were no vehicles on the bridge, even though it was early in the morning. “There was another vehicle behind me,” he said. “It was a tractor but it didn’t have a trailer, we overtook it just as we started to go over the bridge.”

Footage from a bridge surveillance camera that captured road traffic in the last five minutes before the collision shows a vehicle believed to be DeSantis’ and a truck without a trailer behind it. Only six other cars passed in that lane before the freighter hit one of the bridge piers at 1:29 am.

“If I would have stopped and talked to somebody for a minute, I probably wouldn’t be here today,” DeSantis said.

A few minutes after he crossed the bridge, an employee from work called him. “Someone called me two minutes later and asked, ‘Where are you?’ I said I just went over the bridge and they said “Well, you know, the bridge just collapsed.”

DeSantis said he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“I’ve been really tired this week because of the hours I’ve been working, but it makes you think a lot. I can’t believe this happened. I consider myself very lucky,” added the man.

DeSantis has always lived in the area and says he remembers when the bridge was built. “It’s hard to believe it’s gone,” he concluded.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, with a length of 2.57 km, collapsed on Tuesday after a cargo boat violently collided with it. According to officials in the state of Maryland, the ship managed to send an SOS signal before the impact, and authorities were able to slow the flow of traffic, preventing more vehicles from falling into the water. Officials were able to slow the flow of traffic, preventing more vehicles from falling into the water. Crews of workers were on the bridge carrying out roadway repair work.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, with a length of 2.57 km, collapsed on Tuesday after a cargo boat violently collided with it. Six workers working on the bridge carriageway died. Divers have recovered two bodies of the missing workers, and the remaining four are believed to be trapped underwater. All were immigrants from Mexico and Central America.

Publisher: GM

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The article is in Romanian

Tags: stopped talk minute wouldnt today story drivers cross Baltimore Bridge

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