Maryland leaders honor Key Bridge victims, first responders during ceremony 1 year after collapse
Maryland leaders paid tribute to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse victims and emergency responders Wednesday during a ceremony that marked one year since the tragedy.
Shortly before 1:30 a.m. on March 26, 2024, the container ship DALI, a 948-foot vessel from Singapore, crashed into a main span of the bridge, which crumbled into the Patapsco River.
Seven construction workers fell into the water below, and six of them died.
The Key Bridge victims were identified as 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 24-year-old Carlos Hernandez, Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, 49, and Jose Mynor Lopez, 35.
"What happened on March 26, 2024, is and always will be a tragedy beyond words," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.
Honoring Key Bridge victims and first responders
During the ceremony on Wednesday, Gov. Moore recalled the "deeply painful" moment when he learned that the Key Bridge, a "fixture of the Baltimore skyline and Baltimore spirit," collapsed into the Patapsco River.
He remembered the heartbreak of knowing that six Marylanders, who were working while the rest of the state slept, were unaccounted for.
"To the families of the victims...there is little that I can say to truly be the balm for the pain that you feel," the governor said.
Gov. Moore also thanked the firefighters, officers, and other first responders who stopped traffic, dove into the water, and put themselves in harm's way to save lives and recover the victims of the Key Bridge collapse.
He reminded attendees of the four objectives leaders set after the collapse, and the three they have already completed: Bringing closure to families, supporting the people of Maryland, and clearing the channel in 11 weeks, "when people said it would take 11 months."
"I know that soon, after accomplishing the first three objectives, we will accomplish the fourth," Gov. Moore said. "Marylanders of this generation and the next will look up and once again see the Francis Scott Key Bridge standing tall, and you have my word on that."
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott also spoke at the ceremony, thanking city, state, and federal officials for their response to the tragedy.
Mayor Scott remembered the first call he received from Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace, who told the mayor that the bridge had collapsed and his team was already being dispatched.
"We both knew at that very moment that our city and our state would be waking up to a very different reality than when the sun set a few hours before," Mayor Scott said.
He recalled having to remind some observers that the focus was, and would remain, on the men lost in the water.
"...but I never had to remind those that were on the ground risking their own lives and health," he said.
Several state leaders and officials spoke during the ceremony Wednesday, including Senator Chris Van Hollen, Congressmen Kweisi Mfume and Johnny Olszewski, and others who gave remarks while overlooking the site where the bridge collapsed.
Maryland leaders held the ceremony to "remember those we lost, honor those who courageously responded, and commemorate the resilience of Baltimore and the entire state."
The Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in 1977 and stood for 47 years before it collapsed.
What caused the Key Bridge collapse?
On March 26, 2024, investigators said the DALI lost power before crashing into the Key Bridge.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the ship lost power four times in 12 hours before the collision.
The NTSB recently blamed Maryland officials for failing to conduct a recommended assessment that would have shown the bridge was vulnerable to a strike. The state helped develop the assessment protocols in 1991.
"Frankly, we've been sounding the alarm on this since the tragedy occurred," NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said.
Federal investigators found the chances of a vessel striking the Key Bridge were 30 times the recommended threshold.
"We asked, 'had you done this vulnerability assessment on the Key Bridge?' The answer was no. We then asked, 'Are you doing this vulnerability assessment on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge?' The answer is no," Homendy said.
Governor Wes Moore pushed back in an interview with WJZ.
"There is not a bridge in this country that could have taken that kind of impact," Moore said. "We are going to make sure we are cooperating with the NTSB to get all the assessments done, but also, I'm going to make sure that those reckless operators are held to account for the tragedy that happened to our state."
NTSB officials said the critical assessment would have allowed the state to identify structural risks with the bridge.
