What actually went right amid a tragedy: How heroic professionals did their job just before the Baltimore bridge collapse

Sat, 03/30/2024 - 12:24

An illustration of the Dali cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge — Authorities' quick thinking and luck played a big role in keeping the Baltimore bridge collapse from becoming an even bigger tragedy.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI

Certain factors may have minimized lives lost in the Baltimore bridge collapse.
Police halted traffic quickly, the collision occurred overnight, and rescue efforts were robust.
Some things appear to have gone right, maritime experts told BI.

Two people were killed, and four are missing and presumed dead after a cargo ship collision caused the shocking collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge — and authorities and marine experts say it could have been much, much worse.