Major bridge collapse in Baltimore

[mrsukyankee]

www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/mar/26/baltimore-bridge-collapse-ship-collision-francis-scott-key-updates?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

A portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has collapsed after a cargo ship collided with it early on Tuesday, sending multiple vehicles into the water.

At about 1.30am, a vessel crashed into the bridge, catching fire before sinking. A video posted on X appeared to show much of the 2.6km bridge giving way, as a number of vehicles fell into the water below.

[basilosaurus]

How horrific

[Vespasia]

This is local coverage with more details.
www.wbaltv.com/article/baltimore-bridge-collapse-key-bridge/60303975

This is absolutely terrible. Besides the devastating tragedy of lives lost, this is a major traffic artery. Things are going to be truly screwed for a long time.

MH told me about it when he woke me up to say goodbye a few minutes ago and I thought he was kidding.

[underwaterrhymes]

This is the first thing I saw when I woke up this morning. I hope they’re able to rescue everyone.

Incidents like this bring me so much anxiety. I used to have to drive across the Bay Bridge in Maryland every month or so going back and forth from college to home. I white-knuckled it every time. Obviously bridges are useful, but I do not love driving over them and stories likes this haunt me.

[neverfstop]

Wow- that's awful. My first thought was all of the discussions we've had about our aging infrastructure & how something like this was basically inevitable. Not that I'm glad it was caused by a ship, but I'm relieved to know it wasn't aging related.

I hope they are able to find people & do repairs as quickly as they did that bridge in Philly

[mala]

I was coming to post this. Fucking hell. Add another reason to hate driving across bridges.

Now I'm debating if I should wake H up so he can check in with work.

[mcppalmbeach]

I have long had an irrational fear of bridges…that I now feel is not so irrational. I have one of those window breaker, seatbelt cutter tools in my car. Now i feel like i need one that’s small for travel. Praying they are able to recover everyone. Just terrifying.

[underwaterrhymes]

The video is absolutely fucking terrifying.

[Vespasia]

I just saw another article that mentioned how, in the short term at least, the collapse may have a major impact on the Port of Baltimore and access to the harbor. This will have far ranging repercussions on everything from international shipping to cruise traffic.

[mala]

Just watched the video. Do not recommend if you have anxiety driving over bridges. It's BAD. It's a significant portion of the bridge that just falls into the water. Heartbreaking. I did end up waking up H and I heard him call into work just to see if they needed him. He didn't get out of bed so I'm assuming it was a no. Today is the opposite shift day from his so it was unlikely but still possible.

Looking forward, it's going to take so long to rebuild and affect traffic so bad. For those not local, the bridge is part of 695, which is the highway that rings Baltimore. It's also a major shipping route for trucks that aren't permitted on other routes in Baltimore. Any ships going into the port of Baltimore have to go through that part of the River, too.

[ssmjlm]

Absolutely awful. The video where the bridge collapses is just mind boggling, like a house of cards.

[wise_rita]

Mar 26, 2024 5:33:58 GMT -5 neverfstop said:

Wow- that's awful. My first thought was all of the discussions we've had about our aging infrastructure & how something like this was basically inevitable. Not that I'm glad it was caused by a ship, but I'm relieved to know it wasn't aging related.

Same!

And thanks for the warning mala, I'm going to give it a miss if it's not plastered all over the news (which I assume it will be).

[notsopicky]

This is an unspeakable tragedy, semi-local. Add me to the list of those w/ a significant (irrational? maybe not so much) fear of crossing highly eleveated long traffic bridges. I can pinpoint when/how said fear started (in Philadelphia).

I'm listening to CNN right now and Baltimore's mayor is tearing into news outlets that keep replaying the video on repeat. I didn't know there were workers on the bridge. This is terrible.

I hope and pray they rescue everyone.

[penguingrrl]

That video was terrifying. It looked like something out of an action movie. I hope everyone is found safe.

[shauni27]

Mar 26, 2024 6:01:16 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

The video is absolutely fucking terrifying.

I gasped, it literally was like a scene from a movie.

Do we know what the deal is with the ship? I saw something that said they had no power, but nothing confirmed.

[underwaterrhymes]

Mar 26, 2024 6:53:38 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

Mar 26, 2024 6:01:16 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

The video is absolutely fucking terrifying.

I gasped, it literally was like a scene from a movie.

Do we know what the deal is with the ship? I saw something that said they had no power, but nothing confirmed.

You can see the ship lose power a few times before it hits. Also smoke, so I think it’s clear there were mechanical issues that caused the crash.

[mala]

Mar 26, 2024 6:53:38 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

Mar 26, 2024 6:01:16 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

The video is absolutely fucking terrifying.

I gasped, it literally was like a scene from a movie.

Do we know what the deal is with the ship? I saw something that said they had no power, but nothing confirmed.

I havent seen anything yet, but it's true that the lights on half the ship appear to cut out shortly before it starts going off course. I did read that the hull is breached and theres a smell of fuel. The article noted it wasnt yet clear if the breach was below or above the water line. Now that its light we should atart getting more information.

[tacokick]

It seems even scarier that it happened in the middle of the night. There must have been a lot of confusion when it happened. Who would think the bridge could just crumple like that?

It really is a major bridge locally. It would roughly be like if Brooklyn was suddenly not connected to Manhattan. You could still get there but not as directly and all the other ways are going to be massively impacted. It was right at the opening to the Bay and over how boats get into our harbor.

[mala]

H is caught up and coherent, 7 construction workers on the bridge, 4 cars**. 2 ppl rescued.

Going to be a week before they can even move the cargo ship. Likely months to get the debris clear, despite everyone saying weeks, it's likely to close the port for much longer. And then years to rebuild the bridge. The entirety of the bridge is 1.5 miles long, and an entire footing/piling is now compromised. It's probably going to have to be redesigned and rebuilt from scratch (that's my assumption not an official statement).


**I'm going to add that this is now like third hand info, so don't take it as gospel, though the 2 rescued is being reported by the news.

[minzy]

This is terrible. I did see a blurb posted on my neighborhood page this morning as I am also semi-local but I didn’t read beyond the headline. When NPR at the 6am news described an overnight “mass casualty incident in Baltimore” I did not immediately realize it was the same thing.

My husband recently got us each these after one of his colleagues drowned in his car. I have already had heavy duty scissors in the car for years after reading some horror story (I think on here) about tangled seat belts.
www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Emergency-Cutter-Window-Accessories/dp/B073JCMTW2/ref=asc_df_B073JCMTW2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242059895035&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6948512461894733605&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1021048&hvtargid=pla-405044190162&psc=1&mcid=0897eb97de063d8ba259dcd3bb052097&gclid=CjwKCAjw5ImwBhBtEiwAFHDZx2OHYWHKq7C2fUK-yi-85sxVir1O0qk24HAjVdTngows-1Z11wHhYxoCyFQQAvD_BwE

[shauni27]

minzy, I have had this in every car I have owned since I was 16.

[Bernadine]

It is just shocking to me how quickly the bridge just folds in and collapses.

[VillainV]

Mar 26, 2024 7:29:14 GMT -5 minzy said:

This is terrible. I did see a blurb posted on my neighborhood page this morning as I am also semi-local but I didn’t read beyond the headline. When NPR at the 6am news described an overnight “mass casualty incident in Baltimore” I did not immediately realize it was the same thing.

My husband recently got us each these after one of his colleagues drowned in his car. I have already had heavy duty scissors in the car for years after reading some horror story (I think on here) about tangled seat belts.
www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Emergency-Cutter-Window-Accessories/dp/B073JCMTW2/ref=asc_df_B073JCMTW2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242059895035&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6948512461894733605&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1021048&hvtargid=pla-405044190162&psc=1&mcid=0897eb97de063d8ba259dcd3bb052097&gclid=CjwKCAjw5ImwBhBtEiwAFHDZx2OHYWHKq7C2fUK-yi-85sxVir1O0qk24HAjVdTngows-1Z11wHhYxoCyFQQAvD_BwE

I saw a news piece last week, after Mitch McConnell’s SIL died in a vehicle that submerged in water, that those window piercer things don’t work on laminated glass, which most newer vehicles have on side windows as well as the windshield. Laminated glass is much safer in side impacts because it keeps the glass shards from coming into the cabin….:but you won’t be able to smash the window with one of those tools.

This same news piece indicated that the best course of action is you vehicle ends up in water is to immediately roll down the windows to equalize the pressure (you probably have 30-60 seconds), release seat belts, and egress via the open windows. They emphasized NOT to waste time calling 911 from inside the vehicle.

[rubytue]

@villianv I was just prepping to leave the house when my nephew texted me that “Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed.” I was so confused because no one local calls it that, just the Key Bridge. It was just disbelief and he must be talking about another FSK bridge somewhere. The H sent what would have been a cryptic text with the key bridge context.

We moved about 3 year ago. But we’re close enough I suspect we would have been woken up, if not from the crash from the helicopters. Or at least the dogs would have been. And I would have tried to get to work and likely given up within a mile bc of the traffic mess. We were at Quarantine Rd.

I’m still in shock and can’t process.

Edit- took out my last statement about pilots. Since it’s appearing mechanical.

[mala]

Mar 26, 2024 7:57:50 GMT -5 rubytue said:

@villianv I was just prepping to leave the house when my nephew texted me that “Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed.” I was so confused because no one local calls it that, just the Key Bridge. It was just disbelief and he must be talking about another FSK bridge somewhere. The H sent what would have been a cryptic text with the key bridge context.

We moved about 3 year ago. But we’re close enough I suspect we would have been woken up, if not from the crash from the helicopters. Or at least the dogs would have been. And I would have tried to get to work and likely given up within a mile bc of the traffic mess. We were at Quarantine Rd.

I’m still in shock and can’t process. But also, I did think about the pilot that ran aground in the Evergreen 2 years ago. And it’s weird to have two pilot mishaps here.

H and I discussed this too. We're kind of just assuming it's because of increased traffic in the shipping channel combined with the fact that the channel in the bay is very narrow and hard to navigate. But yeah, seems like something needs to be investigated so these kinds of incidents don't continue.

It seems from video that this ship had a power issue, resolved it, then continued under the bridge where it had a second failure which then caused it to hit the bridge. H is livid; as soon as the first failure happened they should have stopped/returned to port and not continued to the bridge. If that is indeed the case, this would be pilot error, same as Evergreen, and jumping to conclusions I'd say the shipping companies are too focused on profits to respond appropriately to accidents like this.

[preppy]

Watching the video made me feel sick. I live on an island only accessible via bridge and had such bridge anxiety when I was postpartum. This is so scary. I hope they are able to rescue more people!

[basilosaurus]

I'm glad I wasn't going crazy thinking this was the same location as Evergreen, but I was having a hard time confirming given the breaking news of this event. I wasn't going straight to pilot error, but I was wondering if there's something about that specific channel that lends itself to increased risk.

But given the reports of power failure and billowing smoke, it does seem to a lay person like me that it's unfortunate conincidence. But also with extra traffic there will of course be increased risk of adverse incidents.

[tacokick]

I wonder how they are going to re-route the trucks carrying HAZMATs since they aren’t allowed in the tunnels.

[aprilsails]

Mar 26, 2024 8:05:59 GMT -5 mala said:

Mar 26, 2024 7:57:50 GMT -5 rubytue said:

@villianv I was just prepping to leave the house when my nephew texted me that “Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed.” I was so confused because no one local calls it that, just the Key Bridge. It was just disbelief and he must be talking about another FSK bridge somewhere. The H sent what would have been a cryptic text with the key bridge context.

We moved about 3 year ago. But we’re close enough I suspect we would have been woken up, if not from the crash from the helicopters. Or at least the dogs would have been. And I would have tried to get to work and likely given up within a mile bc of the traffic mess. We were at Quarantine Rd.

I’m still in shock and can’t process. But also, I did think about the pilot that ran aground in the Evergreen 2 years ago. And it’s weird to have two pilot mishaps here.

H and I discussed this too. We're kind of just assuming it's because of increased traffic in the shipping channel combined with the fact that the channel in the bay is very narrow and hard to navigate. But yeah, seems like something needs to be investigated so these kinds of incidents don't continue.

It seems from video that this ship had a power issue, resolved it, then continued under the bridge where it had a second failure which then caused it to hit the bridge. H is livid; as soon as the first failure happened they should have stopped/returned to port and not continued to the bridge. If that is indeed the case, this would be pilot error, same as Evergreen, and jumping to conclusions I'd say the shipping companies are too focused on profits to respond appropriately to accidents like this.

Ships like that don't have brakes. There's a good chance that they were trying to slow down and maneuver but had no chance of stopping the forward movement of the ship. I will be interested to see if they had alerted authorities ahead of the crash. I feel absolutely terrible for the workers on the bridge and the drivers. What a disaster.

[rubytue]

Mar 26, 2024 8:36:03 GMT -5 tacokick said:

I wonder how they are going to re-route the trucks carrying HAZMATs since they aren’t allowed in the tunnels.

Top side of the beltway. Through Towson?