Julio Cervantes Suárez is the only worker who survived a fall into the waters of Baltimore after a massive ship crashed onto the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, causing its collapse.
Speaking to NBC News, he shared his harrowing experience and recalled seeing his family members and friends disappear into the river. As he braced for his own fall, he said, he turned to prayer in what he believed were his final moments.
He was among the crew repairing potholes on the bridge when the accident occurred. His nephew, brother-in-law, and several friends, all Latino workers, were on a break, either in their vehicles or construction equipment, at the time of the collapse.
Cervantes Suárez, 37, described the desperate situation, recalling how his truck, submerged in water, left him struggling to escape. After managing to roll down the window and exit the vehicle, he clung to a piece of floating concrete until rescued.
His nephew, Carlos Daniel Hernández, was the first to fall, and Cervantes Suárez expressed deep regret over suggesting him to rest in the car during the break. He said he continues to relive the moments leading up to the collapse and the immediate aftermath and finds it challenging to move past the trauma despite getting therapy.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report in May stating that the Dali, the Singapore-flagged cargo ship at the center of the incident, lost power and propulsion before striking the bridge.
The FBI is also investigating whether the ship's crew was aware of potential mechanical issues that made it unsafe to navigate. Cervantes Suárez and the families of the deceased workers are pursuing legal action against the companies associated with the cargo ship.
Following the collapse, the ship's owner and manager, based in Singapore, sought to limit their financial liability to $43.67 million through a Maryland court. The city of Baltimore, in a legal filing, accused the ship's owner, Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and operator, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., of negligence, alleging that pre-existing alarms indicating power supply issues were ignored. The city argued that the ship's unseaworthy condition and crew negligence led to the bridge's destruction, significantly impacting the Port of Baltimore and its community.
Saying that the Port of Baltimore generated over $70 billion last year alone, the city added that it might take years to fully recover the financial losses from the incident.
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