An out of control cargo ship crashed into the massive Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, destroying the bridge and several people became casualties. Dali, the cargo ship that was traveling to Sri Lanka, left the Port of Baltimore after midnight on Mar. 26. Shortly after, it experienced a total blackout, and the ship lost all power, but it was still headed forward. At 1:28 am, the ship struck a supporting truss of the bridge at around 10 miles per hour.
The section of the bridge directly above the ship crashed down into the water and onto the boat, damaging some of the cargo in the process. Additionally, multiple vehicles went down with the section of bridge, and some of them contained workers who were on a break after repairing the bridge’s potholes.
Baltimore residents called the authorities after hearing and feeling what seemed like an earthquake and eventually seeing the wreckage. Two men were immediately rescued from the water after the collapse, one in critical condition and the other unharmed. Six men from the bridge’s maintenance crew became casualties though. After using drones and infrared technology, the authorities were able to find four of the bodies. Later, the other two were found trapped in a pickup truck.
Senior Ridge Kayser said, “ it’s obviously a tragic accident. I don’t think that there is anything that anyone could do though. The ship was out of control, and they had no way to call for help.”
The National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) launched an investigation into the tragic accident,
as did the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but they maintained that terrorism was not a suspected cause. The NTSB later boarded the vessel and determined that the cause of the blackout was likely due to improper or contaminated fuel.
Senior Zack Maske said, “once it’s all fixed, hopefully they will install some more safety measures, so something that never happens again.”
This freak accident was no doubt a terrible tragedy, taking the lives of several people. Whether it was preventable has yet to be seen. Regardless, the lives of many were changed by the crash; there’s no denying that.
