:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/5YH2R5XBBXMD7CA63U6LFWGGUY.jpg "You’re driving… and the road disappears beneath you: what’s it like to survive a bridge collapse?")
Baltimore, MD – The recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has brought back harrowing memories for survivors of previous bridge collapses. The collapse, which occurred following a boat crash, left many individuals reflecting on their own experiences of sudden bridge failures.
Linda Paul, 72, recalled the terrifying moment when the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed while she was trapped on it in her minivan. The collapse killed 13 people and injured 145, leaving Paul with fractures in her vertebrae and a crushed cheekbone. Similarly, Jessie Shelton, now a Broadway actress and broadcaster in New York, suffered injuries that broke her back in four places when the Minnesota bridge collapsed while she was driving to a theater production at the age of 18.
Gustavo Morales Jr. also shared his story of survival after his truck fell into the water when the Queen Elizabeth Causeway bridge in Port Isabel, Texas collapsed due to a tugboat striking a pillar. Morales, who was on his way home at the time, recalls the fear and panic he felt for his family as his truck plummeted into the chasm.
Garrett Ebling, another survivor of the 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse, expressed his concern upon hearing about the individuals still missing in the Baltimore bridge collapse. Ebling emphasized the importance of preventing such tragedies in the future, urging authorities to thoroughly investigate the cause of the collapse to ensure it was not preventable.
As survivors of past bridge collapses reflect on their near-death experiences, they hope that lessons learned from such incidents will lead to improved safety measures and infrastructure maintenance to prevent future tragedies like the one witnessed in Baltimore.