Baltimore bridge collapse survivor recounts fighting for his life in NBC interview

BALTIMORE (AP) — The one one that survived falling from Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge throughout its catastrophic collapse says he watched in horror as his coworkers, mates and family plunged to their deaths.

In an unique interview with NBC Information that aired Wednesday night, Julio Cervantes Suarez described combating for his life after his truck tumbled into the Patapsco River. He was a part of a roadwork crew filling potholes on the bridge when a large cargo ship misplaced energy and crashed into one in all its supporting columns on March 26.

Six folks died within the collapse, together with Cervantes Suarez’s nephew and brother-in-law. An inspector working alongside the crew was in a position to run to security and declined medical remedy.

Cervantes Suarez, 37, who hadn’t beforehand spoken publicly about his expertise, mentioned the boys have been sitting of their building autos throughout a break when the bridge abruptly began crumbling beneath them. A final-minute mayday name from the ship’s pilot had allowed close by law enforcement officials to cease site visitors to the bridge simply moments earlier, however they didn’t have sufficient time to alert the development employees.

Confronted with nearly sure loss of life, Cervantes Suarez mentioned he thanked God for his household.

Miraculously, he was in a position to manually roll down the window of his quickly sinking truck and climb out into the frigid water.

“That’s after I realized what occurred,” he instructed NBC Information in Spanish. “I regarded on the bridge, and it was not there.”

He mentioned he referred to as out to his companions by identify, however nobody answered him. Unable to swim, he clung to a chunk of floating concrete till he was rescued by first responders. He was hospitalized for remedy of a chest wound.

Cervantes Suarez mentioned he’s haunted by the autumn and grieving an unimaginable loss.

All of the victims have been Latino immigrants who moved to the U.S. for work alternatives.

Within the instant aftermath of the collapse, Baltimore County’s close-knit Latino group constructed an elaborate memorial the place family members gathered typically whereas salvage divers continued looking the wreckage for human stays. It took six weeks earlier than all of the our bodies have been recovered.

“They have been good folks, good employees and had good values,” Cervantes Suarez mentioned.

A Nationwide Transportation Security Board investigation discovered that the wayward cargo ship Dali skilled energy outages earlier than beginning its voyage from Baltimore to Sri Lanka, however the precise causes of {the electrical} points have but to be decided. The FBI can also be conducting a legal investigation into the circumstances main as much as the catastrophe.

The ship’s proprietor and supervisor, each Singapore-based corporations, filed a court docket petition quickly after the collapse in search of to restrict their authorized legal responsibility. The Metropolis of Baltimore, amongst different entities, have challenged that declare and accused the businesses of negligence. Attorneys representing victims of the collapse and their households, together with Cervantes Suarez, have additionally pledged to maintain the businesses accountable.

A federal court docket in Maryland will finally determine who’s accountable and the way a lot they owe in what might turn out to be probably the most costly maritime disasters in historical past.

Officers have pledged to rebuild the bridge, which might price a minimum of $1.7 billion and take a number of years.

Throughout a Senate committee listening to Wednesday morning, Maryland senators reiterated requires Congress to approve a spending measure that might permit the federal authorities to cowl 100% of the rebuild effort.

The sections of the bridge that stay standing might be demolished within the coming months to make means for the brand new construction, native media reported earlier this week.