Driver Shocked to Discover He Escaped Baltimore Bridge Minutes Before Collapse
JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
A driver was shocked to discover he narrowly escaped near-certain tragedy, crossing over the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, mere minutes before its devastating collapse.
A cargo ship crashed into one of the supports of the bridge early Tuesday morning. While speculation arose, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley clarified that there was “absolutely no indication” that the “mass casualty event” of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse was deliberate. According to reports, the cargo ship “lost propulsion” before hitting the bridge.
The Baltimore Fire Department quickly deemed it a “mass casualty incident” and said it “responded with numerous water rescue resources just before 2 a.m.” early Tuesday.
RELATED — “Mass Casualty Event”: 1.6-Mile Baltimore Bridge Collapses After Being Struck by Cargo Ship
BCFD via Storyful, Jayme Krause via Storyful
MASS CASULTY INCIDENT #bcofd responded with numerous water rescue resources just before 2 a.m. after reports of a vessel striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge and causing a collapse. Motorists are advised to avoid the area of I695 and the Key Bridge. pic.twitter.com/PDk8JQ8B4M
— Baltimore County Fire Department (@BaltCoFire) March 26, 2024
The quick chain of events left one driver shocked, discovering that he crossed the bridge just three minutes before its collapse into the Patapsco River.
RELATED — Dramatic Footage: Baltimore Resident Captures Moment of Bridge Collapse
Per the Daily Mail:
Baltimore resident Jen Woof heard the shocking news that the Francis Scott Key Bridge near her home in Fort Armistead collapsed when her 20-year-old son Jayden woke her up to tell her he narrowly escaped the disaster.
Ms Woof's panicked son said that he just drove over the bridge, mere three minutes before it dramatically collapsed after container ship Dali hit it around 1.15am this morning.
Woof told the Telegraph that her son “came into my house frantically panicking and yelling for me, and showing me a video of his friends that they took down here at Fort Armistead of the bridge collapse.”
“He was actually almost to our house when his girlfriend started texting him to ask if he was ok,” she added, noting that he did not realize what had happened until that moment.
“He thought she was texting because they were arguing, and she said the bridge had collapsed,” she said, according to the outlet.
According to reports, first responders had less than two minutes to stop traffic on the bridge before the collision. Upon learning the ship lost control, police moved to stop traffic as much as they could. PBS reports that one officer was about to warn the construction crew on the bridge, but it was “too late.”
Two of the at least eight individuals who fell into the water were rescued, but six others remain missing.
RELATED: Search for Survivors Continues After Collapse of Bridge Struck by Cargo Ship
Bill Ferguson via Storyful
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