New video, accounts from officers detail Key Bridge rescue efforts
The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) shared new video and accounts from officers one year after the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River early on the morning of March 26, 2024, after it was struck by a container ship that had lost power.
Six construction workers died after falling into the river.
Stopping traffic on the Key Bridge
In the video shared Tuesday, Chief of the MDTA Police Col. Joseph Scott said there had been an ongoing construction detail on either side of the Key Bridge to stop traffic when needed based on the construction work.
"Once the call came out, and then they understood the possibility of an issue, they then shut down the bridge on either side, stopping traffic from going across, and that was one of the things that saved a lot of people's lives," Chief Scott said.
MDTA First Sergeant Paul Pastorek remembered stopping traffic that was traveling on I-695 and heading toward the Key Bridge.
"It's a little tough to even talk about to be honest," he said in the video.
"When I first saw the scene, it was a bit overwhelming," he added.
As the Baltimore region approaches one year since the collapse of the Key Bridge, Sgt. Pastorek said, "I still have the same feelings, we still lost the same six souls that we were unable to save that night."
Communicating with dispatch
According to MDTA Chief Scott, police and dispatch worked hand-in-hand to assess and respond to the tragedy.
"Dispatch is our lifeline, we can get to a scene, but we need to really understand what all is going on, and we rely on them for that constant communication," he said.
Communications Command Director Stacey Newton recalled getting to work in the midst of the chaos.
"The work that they had done, the work that they were prepared to do, or trained to do, they were able to handle that," she said of the team. "So, the first 15 minutes, yes it was a scary time, it was, it was very very scary."
Divers face extreme conditions
Secretary of the Maryland Department of State Police, Col. Roland Butler Jr., said divers faced extreme conditions during the rescue effort.
"You were talking about over 80 divers from federal, state and local partners working side-by-side using various pieces of equipment, sonar, everything under the sun that they could to help bring closure in this matter and locate those that were lost in this incident," Col. Butler said.
He recalled how drivers navigated pieces of debris like concrete and sharp metal that could potentially affect their air supply.
"It was slow, it was methodical, and oftentimes, they couldn't see anything at all," Col. Butler said. "They were simply feeling their way around and trying to figure out what they were dealing with, how safe it was to proceed."
Two people survived the collapse of the Key Bridge: A bridge inspector named Damon Davis, who jumped to safety and a construction worker named Julio Cervantes Suarez who was rescued from the water.
Video obtained by WJZ shows Suarez being brought to a pier after being rescued by a boat.
Suarez was in his pickup truck when the bridge collapsed, and his lawyer said the manual window in the truck aided in his escape.
His brother-in-law and nephew were among the six victims.
The 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, 49-year-old Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, and 35-year-old Jose Mynor Lopez.
NTSB places blame on MDTA
Almost a year after the Key Bridge collapsed, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a report, saying MDTA failed to conduct a vulnerability assessment that would have identified structural risks in the bridge.
NTSB said if the state had conducted the assessments, MDTA would have been able to reduce the risk of the collapse and the loss of life.
In response, MDTA said it would review the recommendations from NTSB, but maintained that the bridge collapse was the fault of the Dali cargo ship. The vessel had lost power four times in 24 hours ahead of the collapse.
"Over the past 50 years, hundreds of thousands of vessels transited under the Key Bridge without incident," MDTA said. "The Key Bridge, like other bridges in America, was approved and permitted by the federal government and in compliance with those permits."
