Construction worker tells his survival story for the first time
In Baltimore, this year, there is a disaster when a ship collides with a four-lane bridge, causing several construction workers to die. Only one survived. In an interview, he speaks for the first time about his great luck and how he managed to survive.
At the catastrophic collapse of a four-lane bridge in Baltimore's harbor in late March, six construction workers on the bridge had lost their lives. The only survivor from the team spoke to US broadcaster NBC about his survival story. Julio Cervantes Suarez survived the fall with his truck from the Francis Scott Key Bridge into the Patapsco River - but had to watch as his colleagues plunged to their deaths.
The crew was filling holes on the bridge when, due to a power failure on a container ship, it became maneuvering-disabled and rammed into a support pillar of the bridge, causing it to collapse. Among those who died were a nephew and brother-in-law of Cervantes Suarez. An inspector who worked nearby managed to save himself and refused medical treatment.
The 37-year-old Cervantes Suarez, who had previously not spoken publicly about the incident, said the men had been sitting in their construction vehicles during a break when the bridge suddenly collapsed beneath them.
A call from the ship alerted the police in the last minute, allowing them to close the bridge to traffic and prevent further casualties. However, there was not enough time to warn the construction workers. In the face of death, he thanked God for his family, Cervantes Suarez said.
"Unimaginable Loss"
Incredibly, he managed to lower the window of his sinking vehicle and escape into the cold water. "That's when I realized what had happened," he told the broadcaster. "I looked at the bridge and it was no longer there." He called out to his colleagues, but no one answered.
Since he couldn't swim, he clung to a piece of concrete floating in the water until he was rescued by first responders. He was taken to the hospital with an injury.
He is still haunted by the collapse and mourns an unimaginable loss, Cervantes Suarez said. All the victims were Latino immigrants who had come to the US to work. "They were good people, good workers, and had good values," Cervantes Suarez said.
The United States Department of Transportation is reviewing safety measures for Bridges and Tunnels across the United States of America following the Baltimore incident. The International Organization for Road Accident Prevention has expressed its condolences and offered assistance in the investigation.
