Ria Beri ‘27
EE Staff Writer
A little over 3 weeks ago, on Tuesday, March 26, a cargo ship traveling along the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland lost control and rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Within a few seconds, the bridge crumbled and plunged into the river, bringing everything and everyone on it with it. Fortunately, the disaster occurred at 1:28 a.m., hurting just eight people rather than the 31,000 that travel the bridge by day. The Dali ship, which had just begun its journey to Sri Lanka, has a history of incidents and crashed into a Belgian Port in 2016.
At the time of the collapse, eight construction workers from Brawner Builders Incorporations were on the bridge. We know that each worker had roots in either Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, or El Salvador. It was reported that the workers had been taking a break from filling potholes and were sitting in their trucks when the container ship hit. Upon impact, all eight workers fell into the murky river. Two workers survived and were recovered instantly while authorities have presumed the other six to be dead. Of those six, only four bodies have been retrieved. Additionally, only two victims’ names, both who are among the six presumed dead, have been released: Miguel Luna and Maynor Suazo Sandoval.
Looking forward, Fortune Magazine estimates that it will take $400 million and 18 months, if not more, to repair the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The closure of the port and the destruction of the bridge will result in the loss of jobs and transportation for thousands as well. Investigations into the cause of the power failure and searches for the two remaining bodies will carry on.
As I see it, the bridge collapse highlights the uncertainty and abruptness of life. My personal take away from the incident is to treasure and embrace the time given. That night, the workers on the bridge went to work completely unaware that anything abnormal would happen, yet the boat suddenly came and tore down the bridge. At any possible moment, a similar factor beyond our control can come along and wreck everything we have. Stressing over minute details rather than focusing on the present only takes away from our quality of life. Instead, we should enjoy everything as we experience it to live a full and regret-free life.
Very well written