The Francis Scott Key Bridge connects Hawkins Point, Baltimore to Dundalk. Spanning the Patapsco River at a length of 1.6 miles, this bridge has served a vital purpose for utilizing the Port of Baltimore since 1977. The bridge has had a successful history, boasting the title of the third largest continuous truss bridge in the world; however, on March 26, 2024, at 1:28 a.m., it collapsed after being struck by a container ship. The ship, Dali, had lost control of the vessel after experiencing a blackout and dropped anchors before ultimately hitting the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Luckily, the crew had managed to contact the authorities who were able to stop traffic over the bridge about 20 seconds before contact was made. A group of construction workers, however, were recorded being on the bridge at the time. The bridge immediately broke into pieces that fell into the port, and the incident was all recorded on video.

The Baltimore Police Department immediately issued a large-scale search and rescue mission in response, including the Coast Guard and a team of public safety divers. Following the mission, two people were rescued and are currently being monitored, but unfortunately, at least six people have been presumed dead. There were no casualties in the ship’s crew, and at least five vehicles have been uncovered.

Junior Lorelei Everheart, who has an interest in engineering and architecture, “was initially just shocked and worried if there were any people present on the bridge.” She believes this tragic event may have occurred “due to a lack of proper safety measures such as ramparts and buffers that can be used to protect bridges from dangerous collisions.” Similarly, Junior Eden Clark’s, who has family in the Baltimore area, “heart goes out to everybody involved.”

Currently, cranes are in the process of removing all the debris from the port, and traffic continues to be deterred. The city of Baltimore is reeling from this devastation.