An Uber driver named Gayle Fairman had a close call when she was saved from disaster by a watchful police officer. The officer prevented her from crossing the Francis Scott Key Bridge just moments before it collapsed. Fairman was en route to pick up a passenger from the Amazon facility in Sparrows Point. She had received a call at 1:16 a.m. and was planning to drop off the passenger in the Brooklyn neighborhood on the other side of the bridge.
The New York Post reported that Fairman shared with WBAL how a fortunate delay in her passengers’ arrival possibly prevented a tragedy. She believed that if her passengers had been on time, they might have been on the bridge when it collapsed. Around 1:30 a.m., Fairman was at the front of the line, ready to cross the bridge, when a police officer stopped her and informed her about the bridge’s collapse. Due to the darkness of the night and her closed car windows, she couldn’t confirm the reality of the situation.
Fairman had no idea at the time, but the bridge collapsed because a huge cargo ship called the Dali collided with it. This information became known when videos on social media showed the vessel crashing into the bridge, leading to its collapse into the Patapsco River. As a result, local law enforcement quickly responded to the incident after receiving a distress call from the crew of the Dali, who reported that the ship had lost control of its steering.
In a race against time, two officers nearby swiftly halted traffic on both ends of the 1.6-mile bridge span, just moments before the 130,000-ton vessel’s collision caused the bridge’s collapse. This quick response undoubtedly saved many lives. However, it was unfortunate that eight workers from a pothole repair crew, who were taking a meal break on the bridge, were thrown into the cold waters below. In the aftermath, two individuals were successfully rescued, but sadly, two others were found deceased inside a submerged vehicle.
The crew’s actions leading up to the crash are currently under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Karl MacGibbon of Coffey Modica and attorney Michael Mezzacappa, experts in the field, highlighted the crew’s quick decision-making in a high-pressure situation. While it is too early to pass judgment on their choices without a complete understanding of the circumstances, their immediate communication with the Maryland Transportation Authority, which facilitated the rapid deployment of law enforcement, has been commended as a crucial element in averting further tragedy.