Early morning, March 26, tragedy struck in Maryland. The Francis Scott Key Bridge was standing tall over Baltimore Harbor when it was struck down by an out of control cargo ship causing the bridge to collapse. The damage led to the deaths of six construction workers.
The cargo ship collided with one of the supports for the bridge, causing it to crash down into a pit of black smoke.
This news was not easy to hear for residents of the Baltimore area. Baltimore resident, Michelle New, was overcome with emotion when she heard the news.
“I was devastated. I saw the video of the impact and I was devastated.”
Six lives were lost in the accident, all of whom were construction workers doing work on the bridge at the time.
“The main thing is that people lost their lives. Six people […] lost their lives because of the negligence of a cargo ship,” shared New.
Not only were lives lost, but also a main passage of transportation in the Baltimore area, creating problems for locals as well as businesses in terms of transportation and receiving goods.
This tragedy brought everyone together to help the cause and the city of Baltimore recover from this loss.
“There’s been a huge response on multiple levels. Multiple agencies are involved, neighborhoods have come together, people have been supporting the families, fundraising has been going on to support the families of those impacted. Businesses are also getting some help because they’ve lost access to their transportation and access to goods,” New said.
This, though, raised the question: could this happen in San Francisco, which boasts the historic Golden Gate and the Bay Bridges?
Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, the director of public affairs for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District disagrees. He told SFGate in an interview that the Golden Gate and Bay bridges have “the most robust protection system of any bridge on the West Coast.”
Residents of the Bay Area also feel a sense of security in their bridges. Apollo Adella ’25 shared that he is unconcerned with this happening in San Francisco.
“I don’t think it’ll happen in [San Francisco] because the Golden Gate Bridge is [pretty strong].”
The residents of Baltimore aren’t so lucky. The loss of this bridge and the loss of lives is something that will make its mark on Baltimore history, and the city may not recover any time soon.
New said, “…It’s gone, it’s absolutely gone. And it’s going to take years to recover.”
