As the loss of six construction workers emphasized the tragedy of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse last Tuesday, one man who traveled the bridge just minutes before a cargo ship crash brought it down says he is “thankful that he’s still here.”
“If I had been another … minute, I may not be here talking to you,” Larry Desantis told WTOP.
Desantis was headed to one of his bakery jobs to the next on the night of the collapse, and says he was one of the last cars to cross the bridge before it fell.
“I’ve seen my truck going across (the bridge in one of the videos),” Desantis said. “It looked like it was almost as the ship was hitting the bridge.”
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In a prior interview with ABC News, Desantis estimated he crossed the Key Bridge between 1:26 and 1:27 a.m. on Tuesday — just two minutes before the Dali cargo ship struck it.
Maryland Transportation Authority officers had stopped cars from driving onto the bridge just prior to the collision.
Desantis said that on Tuesday night, he traveled cautiously across the bridge after seeing the presence of construction workers.
“I don’t even look out off to the side of the bridge anymore when I see workers, because I’m very cautious about that. So many of them have been killed by people driving,” Desantis told WTOP. “I really didn’t even see the ship at all because I wasn’t looking anywhere but (at) what was right in front of me.”
Of eight construction workers on the bridge at the time of its collapse, two survived.
“I feel sorry for the people that lost their lives,” Desantis told WTOP, adding that his narrowly avoiding tragedy has inspired him to “live day to day” being the best person he can.
As for traveling over bridges, Desantis has retained a positive outlook, even as many others are experiencing trepidation about the act.
“I love bridges, I really do,” Desantis said. “You see the skyline, you see the ships coming in. I like going over bridges with water … the scenery is so much better than driving through a tunnel. So much more to see.”
WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.
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