The ship that crashed into the bridge, the Dali, is a 985-foot-long container vessel that was carrying around 4700 containers. It had lost power, causing it to hit a support column and collapsing the entire bridge. Once attempts to fix the power issue onboard failed, crew members contacted the Maryland Department of Transportation and the Maryland Transit Authority which allowed officers to stop traffic on the bridge, saving many lives.
6 people are missing and presumed dead while 2 have been rescued. The six presumed dead were on a construction crew that was working on filling potholes on the bridge.
In an article on CBS News by Brian Dakss and Kerry Breen, the Rear Admiral of the U.S. Coast Guard, Shannon Gilreath, stated: “Based on the length of time that we’ve gone in this search, the extensive search efforts that we’ve put into it, the water temperature — that at this point we do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals still alive.”
Based on recordings from willyweather.com, temperatures in the Patapsco River were as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Prolonged exposure to water at these temperatures is capable of causing hypothermia, and according to hofmannlawfirm.com, those affected with hypothermia in 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit water can die in 1 to 3 hours.
Due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, all lanes have been closed in both directions on I-695, with traffic being detoured to I-95 and I-895. According to baltimoresun.com, the closing of the Port of Baltimore will lead to the loss of around 15 million dollars in economic activity. Understandably, the community of Baltimore is shaken by this tragic event. It is stated that the collapse of the bridge sounded like thunder, with the impact supposedly shaking houses near the port like an earthquake.
Not only has this event affected big corporation workers in and around the port, but small companies that revolved around work inside of the port are suffering. Oisten Johnson, a freshman, said that his cousin’s workplace has taken a huge toll from the closing of the port. He stated: “My cousin was saying that his boss was thinking of closing the business down until the entire port is back up.”
Thankfully, the efforts that are being made to salvage debris from the port will help open up the port once more, hopefully saving businesses from closing for too long.
