Driving along … and the roadway vanishes beneath you. What’s it like to survive a bridge collapse?
You’re driving along, and without warning, the roadway drops from beneath you.
There are a few seconds of falling, with thoughts possibly racing about family or loved ones, followed by a jarring impact, and most likely injury.
Tuesday’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore following a ship strike brought back jarring memories of their own ordeals to people who survived previous bridge collapses.
Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse: What we know now about the ship, and those killed
Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with a support Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Baltimore. The major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for multiple people in the water. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)
Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with a support Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. The major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for multiple people in the water. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)
The Dali container vessel after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. The commuter bridge collapsed after being rammed by the Dali ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sit on the water after it collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. The bridge collapsed after being struck by a container ship, sending multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below.
The Dali container vessel after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. The commuter bridge collapsed after being rammed by the Dali ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Dali container vessel after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. The commuter bridge collapsed after being rammed by the Dali ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Dali container vessel after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. The commuter bridge collapsed after being rammed by the Dali ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The collapsed steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and a section of the roadway still upright (L) sit on the water after the bridge collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. The bridge collapsed after being struck by a container ship, sending multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below.
The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sit on the water after it collapsed in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. The bridge collapsed after being struck by a container ship, sending multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below.
The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after it struck the bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. The collapsed sent multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below.
The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after it struck the bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. The collapsed sent multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below.
Baltimore Fire Department Chief James Wallace, with Police Commissioner Richard Worley (R) and Mayor Brandon Scott (2nd R), speaks at a press conference on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. The bridge collapsed early March 26 after being struck by a container ship, sending multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below.
A section of the roadway still stands after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was struck by a container ship, in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. The collapsed sent multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below.
A US Coast Guard helicopter flies over the Dali container vessel after it struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. The commuter bridge collapsed after being rammed by the Dali ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
TOPSHOT – The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after it struck the bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. The collapsed sent multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below.
The Dali container vessel after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. The commuter bridge collapsed after being rammed by the Dali ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after it struck the bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. The collapsed sent multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below.
The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after it struck the bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. The collapsed sent multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below.
TOPSHOT – The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after it struck the bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. The collapsed sent multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below.
Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with a support Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. The major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for multiple people in the water. (WJLA via AP)
Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with a support Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. The major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for multiple people in the water. (WJLA via AP)
Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with a support Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. The major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for multiple people in the water. (WJLA via AP)
Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with a support Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. The major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for multiple people in the water. (WJLA via AP)
Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with a support Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. The major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for multiple people in the water. (WJLA via AP)
The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after it struck the bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. The collapsed sent multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below.
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse is shown early morning, Tuesday, March 26, 2024 from Riviera Beach, Md. A container ship rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap in a few places and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers were initially searching for at least seven people. (AP Photo/Nathan Ellgren)
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse is shown early morning, Tuesday, March 26, 2024 from Riviera Beach, Md. A container ship rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap in a few places and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers were initially searching for at least seven people. (AP Photo/Nathan Ellgren)
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse is shown early morning, Tuesday, March 26, 2024 from Riviera Beach, Md. A container ship rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap in a few places and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers were initially searching for at least seven people. (AP Photo/Nathan Ellgren)
‘THERE WAS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WRONG’
Linda Paul, 72, survived a bridge collapse in Minneapolis on Aug. 1, 2007. The Interstate 35W bridge collapsed without warning into the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis during the evening rush hour.
Paul was 55 then, working as a shop-at-home designer for a local company and driving home in a minivan that doubled as a “store on wheels,” loaded with fabrics and sample books. Traffic was at a total standstill, leaving her stuck on the bridge around 6 p.m.
“I remember looking around and thinking that there was definitely something wrong,” Paul said. “I looked ahead and realized that the center section of the bridge was going down, and knew at that point that there was a good chance I would go down with it. And that is exactly what happened.”
FILE – In this Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007 picture, vehicles are scattered along the broken remains of the Interstate 35W bridge, which stretches between Minneapolis and St. Paul, after it collapsed into the Mississippi River during evening rush hour. The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore following a ship strike on March 26, 2024 brought back jarring memories of their own ordeals to people who survived previous bridge collapses. (Stacy Bengs/The Minnesota Daily via AP)
Police later told her that she plunged down a 50-foot (15-meter) slope as the concrete deck of the bridge collapsed. She was still inside the minivan as it fell onto wreckage on the riverbank, at the water’s edge.
Chunks of concrete hit her, fracturing five of her vertebrae and crushing her left cheekbone, as the collapse killed 13 people and injured 145.
ESCAPED THROUGH A HAND-CRANKED WINDOW
Gustavo Morales Jr. was driving a truck over the Queen Isabella Causeway in Port Isabel, Texas and fell into an abyss after a tugboat struck a pillar, sending part of the bridge into the water on Sept. 15, 2001.
Morales was on his way home from a late night managing a restaurant on South Padre Island at the time. He remembers it feeling like a rumble or explosion — and then his pickup truck flew over the collapsed roadway for a few seconds before crashing into the water. Thoughts of his wife, who was expecting their third child, flooded his mind.
FILE – Recovery workers pull a car from the bay at the site where the Queen Isabella Causeway collapsed, in Port Isabel, Texas, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2001. The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore following a ship strike on March 26, 2024 brought back jarring memories of their own ordeals to people who survived previous bridge collapses. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
“Everything comes into your mind a thousand miles an hour,” he said. “It was my wife, my girls, my son who was on his way.”
Morales believes wearing his seatbelt and being able to manually roll down the window helped him stay conscious and escape the truck. He spent about ten minutes in the water before some young men nearby who witnessed the tugboat hit the pier helped him and others safely out. Eight people died that day. Morales was among three survivors.
MULTIPLE SURGERIES AND TRAUMA
Garrett Ebling, another survivor of the 2007 Minnesota bridge collapse, was numb when he learned that six people who were on the bridge in Baltimore remained missing and were presumed dead.
“As Minneapolis bridge collapse survivors, one of the things we hold onto is that we went through this in the hopes that people wouldn’t have to go through something like this in the future,” Ebling said.
Ebling, 49, of New Ulm, Minnesota, endured multiple surgeries, including facial reconstruction, as well as emotional trauma.
“We don’t know what happened in Baltimore,” Ebling said. “But I don’t want to see somebody have to go through that, especially unnecessarily. If it ends up being a preventable accident then I really feel bad. In my estimation, what happened in Minneapolis was a preventable bridge collapse. And if that also happened in Baltimore, then I think that makes it even more disappointing.”
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