A portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has collapsed after a large boat collided with it early on Tuesday morning, sending multiple vehicles into the water.
At about 1.30am, a vessel crashed into the bridge, catching fire before sinking and causing multiple vehicles to fall into the water below, according to a video posted on X.
“All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X.
Matthew West, a petty officer first class for the coastguard in Baltimore, told the New York Times that the coastguard received a report of an impact at 1.27am ET. West said the Dali, a 948ft (29 metres) Singapore-flagged cargo ship, had hit the bridge, which is part of Interstate 695.
I live not five minutes away from the Key bridge and the sound of this woke me up last night. My GF takes this bridge to work every day. Driving through the city now for her every morning is going to be fucking awful.
Time to move. Or switch jobs.
Which is super easy to do. /s
If the traffic is bad enough you might not have many options.
Hopefully employers will allow WFH for jobs that can be feasibly done remotely. This will also help reduce traffic for those who cannot WFH.
But people do have dozens of jobs lined up at least, right?
Sounds like a problem for the people who use cars. Leg commute gang
The construction workers that died is fucking awful. The traffic situation won’t be great, but at least she’s alive with a job to go to.
Most people would take that as a given. He was just pointing out the effect on his own personal life.
It would be pretty annoying if everyone shared their own effect but had to precede it with a standard “I know it’s more awful for those with lives lost, but this affects me because…”
I watched it on the news last night all the way from Australia and I said ‘man they just fucked that whole cities traffic up for a long time’.
Yeah, IIRC it is the route for hazmat trucks. Gonna fuck with a lot of businesses down the line for a bit too.
As an aside, they used to have a rave down in the park under the west side of the bridge a decade or so ago, and it was always awesome being on the beach stage looking at that bridge at night and as the sun would come up.
Police audio from the event:
It sounds like police got their just in time to stop traffic. One of the officers says that as soon as backup arrives to take over stopping traffic he would go and evacuate the workers; when we get the report that the bridge is gone.
If you watch the stream of the crash, you can see that traffic was flowing just moments before it fell.
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Everything in camera collapsed, but the whole thing was 1.6 miles.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Scott_Key_Bridge_(Baltimore)
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That was pretty much the whole thing, looking at a Google Earth image of the thing:
Why is he listed as “amateur poet” if his work was so famous that we named a bridge after him 130 years posthumously.
Francis Scott Key famously wrote the lyrics for the Star Spangled Banner. But professionally, he was a lawyer. :)
As an Engineer I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out on future construction as well as retrofitting of existing bridges. Not only that, but also Emergency alert systems on cargo ships and maybe a more redundant power set up? But RIP to all those who lost their lives. Tragic.
I saw this just now on goog-ul and the first thought was… two ships collided on the bridge? But ships don’t even drive on bridges!
But ships don’t even drive on bridges!
They’re a tricky lot, those ships.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navigable_aqueduct
EDIT: Though for at least some of those, they’re smaller and the right term is probably “boat” than “ship”.
Achtually
It’s gotta be the Dutch! It’s always the Dutch. I’ve also seen the one where the boat swings up on a rotating platform. Freaking Deutch.
Us, we live in the land of bridges made for cars only.
I’ve also seen the one where the boat swings up on a rotating platform. Freaking Deutch.
If you’re talking about what I think you’re talking about, that’s British.
Man I wouldn’t want to be this boat’s insurance.
That’s the ship that hit the bridge. It’s still there as I write this, but there are a bunch of tugs on scene right now.
Marine traffic can show you all the active AIS contacts in real time.
Found a photo of the bridge on it.
Seems normal.
Well that looks expensive
The scale doesn’t even come across in the video.
That bit you see collapse is half a mile long.
half a mile long
I think you mistyped this. It was a mile and a half long.
which is a prime example of a why a bridge built in a shipping lane should be built to stricter standards that would prevent a total fucking collapse from a errant ship.
Your username is quite fitting.
“Bridges should be built to resist entirely predictable accidents”
Lemmy: “angry, incoherent screaming”
I feel like I’m back on Reddit
Eh, on reddit they’d at least have the balls to comment and reveal how fucking stupid their pro-bridge collapse arguments were.
For sure, and furthermore the city should have some sort of tugboats capable of stopping a rogue ship if it had time to give out a mayday. Just attach a line to the back of the hull when it enters the channel and give throttle in the opposite direction to halt it.
The bridge is just gone now, one tap and the whole thing fell like dominos!
Those constructions rely on all parts being where they are, otherwise the whole thing collapses. You’d need a different kind of bridge for the single stretches to be independent.
It’s bad enough that the transportation infrastructure is falling apart across the country due to poor maintenance. But when the bridge was built in the 1970s, I don’t think container ships that big even existed. It’s the same problem with old roads and modern cars or old airports and modern jets.
I hope that whatever replaces the Key Bridge is designed to fail in segments and take a good beating before it does.
That would be extremely expensive. I think that money would be better spent toward getting ships to not hit the bridge at all.
It would say most construction projects rely on a boat not ramming into it
Boat hills can’t melt steel beams
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_Skyway_Bridge
The southbound span (opened in 1971) of the original bridge was destroyed on the morning of May 9, 1980, when the 606 ft (185 m) freighter MV Summit Venture collided with a support column during a sudden squall, causing the catastrophic failure of over 1,200 ft (370 m) of the span.
Governor Bob Graham’s idea to build a “signature” cable-stayed bridge with a span that would be 50% wider than that of the old Skyway Bridge won out over other proposals. In addition to a wider shipping lane, the channel would be marked by a 1⁄4 mi (400 m)-long series of large concrete barriers, and the support piers would be protected by massive concrete “dolphins”.
Florida apparently isn’t relying on that anymore.
Just to illustrate the point, this is no “tap”. A cargo ship like that hitting something is about the same momentum as 14 loaded Boeing 787s hitting something at 800 km/h, simultaneously.
283 million pound “tap”
holy shit. I’ve been getting alerts about it, but that video is so much worse than I imagined.
That doesn’t look like a little repair, which is what I had assumed. That looks like the ship’s insurer is buying Baltimore a new bridge.
googles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Scott_Key_Bridge_(Baltimore)
The main span of 1,200 feet (366 m) was the third longest span of any continuous truss in the world. It
Smooth.
The bridge, at an estimated cost of $110 million
Construction of the Outer Harbor Bridge began in 1972, several years behind schedule and $33 million overbudget.
So $143 million in 1972 dollars…
https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
$1.06 billion in 2024 dollars.
I am guessing these liability limits are for the cargo, not any damage caused by the ship. If shippers had to ensure everything they shipped for “storms and pirates” in the 1800’s, then they probably wouldn’t be able to do business. So there is a limit to what shippers would owe their clients if a ship got captured or wrecked. Those clients would need their own insurance if they wanted to be made whole in the event of a catastrophe.
What happens next is likely to be the result if the investigation. If this was a freak mechanical failure, and the boat’s maintenance was otherwise up to date, then maybe the State won’t be able to go after the boat’s owners. But if there’s any inkling that there was negligence in the maintenance of the boat, or in the piloting of it, the the State is going to go after the company for all it can. Depending on what they find, there might even be criminal charges.
I am guessing these liability limits are for the cargo, not any damage caused by the ship
The article about the treaty is explicitly talking about damage to things ships hit:
Under the 1976 Convention, the limit of liability for claims covered is raised considerably, in some cases up to 250-300 per cent. Limits are specified for two types of claims - claims for loss of life or personal injury, and property claims (such as damage to other ships, property or harbour works).
Ok, I stand corrected then. They’re gonna have to sell a lot of crab cakes to fix that bridge…
Ahhh yes corporate arbitration lawyers. They shall be among the first to be flayed in the uprising.
US uses law even more favorable to the shipowner.
Color me surprised.
I appreciate the research and sources you’ve listed here. Its quite interesting from an impact perspective.
the liability of the owner or owners of any ship or vessel … shall in no case exceed the amount or value of the interest of such owner or owners respectively, in such ship or vessel, and her freight then pending".
I think that’s probably way more than $39 million.
The Ever Given that got stuck in the Suez Canal was worth about $125 million carrying about $600 million in cargo. It had a capacity of 20,000 TEU (twenty foot equivalent units).
This MV Dali has a capacity of about 10,000 TEU and was carrying 4700 containers. I think no matter how you slice it, the value of the ship and its cargo would be in the hundreds of millions.
Feds are going to pay for it
That’s gonna cause some delays.
Seven people likely dead so far. What a horrible, terrifying way to go.
I’ve heard it was construction workers filling pot holes.
The bridge at crest is around 185 ft off the water, and footage shows the collapse took about 6 seconds where the cars were.
Imagine doing a mind numbing job in the dead of night and then all of a sudden the floor starts dipping below you. The street lights go out a second or two later, and not long after you’re falling for close to 2 seconds. Then either crashing hard into the concrete below you that just parted the water, having a flood of water hit you shortly after. or just jetting directly into freezing cold water.
How the fuck did this happen?
Nah, I’d say that it’s probably fast and even if you’re alive and conscious after you hit the water, you’re gonna drown pretty quickly. Probably one of the better ways to go.
Dying generally isn’t all that pleasant.
Navy eod told me drowning feels like your lungs are on fire.
Grandma told me once your lungs fill with water it’s pretty chill. She almost drowned twice.
Reminds me of that story Michael Caine tells in The Prestige.
" Remember that sailor I told you about who got tangled up in the sails and drowned?"
“Yeah, he said it was like going home.”
"I lied… He said it was agony.
Had a green beret buddy tell me the same thing. He had to go through a pretty intense water survival training, and part of it was “drown-proofing”. Said it was the worst part of his training.
This was not a good way to go.
Agreed… They had a bad day.
Drowning has to be towards the bottom of my list of ways to die
Drowning after falling from a great height.
Yeah I would expect vehicle occupants to have serious injuries after a fall like that. Water can be plenty “hard” enough to break your back if you hit it with something flat like a car
I used to think drowning was the worst until I heard two accounts of people who drowned and were resuscitated. They said it was terribly peaceful. I’m good with it now.
Uh, source? It’s a slow and scary death.
Just anecdotal. I think it was enough to not fear it so much. The recollection is that the bad part is you are fighting to stay alive but when you give in and swallow all of the you get a state of euphoria… so I figure if you’ve got no choice just suck the water in and die happy.
Whatever you tell yourself to help cope with your own anxiety about drowning I guess… I nearly drowned and I can tell you it was not euphoric breathing in water.
Die happy. Yeah right.
I sincerely doubt that your lungs filling with water would be “euphoric” considering any water in your lungs feels like burning. Even if the last seconds felt nice, you’re discounting the terrifying minute or two of suffocation and panic.
That’s like saying getting stabbed in the chest isn’t a bad way to die because the pain sends you into shock and you pass out before dying
Did you hear this in the prestige? Cause it was revealed he was lying
Nope.
I think you got bad information.
Not trying to defend him, but there are accounts of people who nearly/drowned in freezing water say they had feelings of warmth and euphoria. It’s likely due to shock setting in long before the drowning panic.
I’ve heard this before but it doesn’t make much sense to me.
Dying of a stroke in your sleep sounds peaceful.
Being unable to leave your submerged car because your back is broken, watching freezing water coming in, taking that last breath. Sounds fucking terrifying honestly.
It’s worse than that. People don’t understand what drowning is like at all, it is a terribly unpeaceful way to go. We all tend to think that you run out of air and then suddenly go unconscious but prior to that:
Water will enter your lungs which, fun fact, really don’t like that and so it is apparently extremely painful. It also triggers an involuntary reaction. You are now conscious on adrenaline, with very painful water in your lungs, and have lost all control of your body. Your body will attempt to flail wildly out of control while you suffer until you lose consciousness from lack of air. All of this happens quickly but probably not as quickly as you want it to given the circumstances.
This wasn’t just drowning, though. This was drowning after likely sustaining significant impact injuries after hitting the water from many dozens of feet in a vehicle that basically belly-flopped, which is the worst way to impact the water. It’s like hitting concrete from that distance. And then panicking because you’re strapped inside your sinking vehicle.
This was anything but the peaceful drowning scenario you’re referencing that some people have.
I technically drowned when I was 12 and being an idiot ‘riding’ waterfalls. I got sucked into a big crack in a rock and when my friends finally got me out I was clinically dead, and all of my fingernails were ripped in half from trying to claw my way out. All I can remember is abject fear, and then the burning as my lungs gave up.
I would rather die by almost any other means.
How long were you dead for? How did they make you alive again?
My friends and I all took water rescue courses in cub scouts so they knew how to do mouth to mouth and clear water from lungs. One friend ran for help and the rest pulled me out and two did the mouth to mouth.
The EMTs who ahowed up after I was pulled out said they figured I was ‘gone’ for a minute or so. I don’t really remember the exact details but it was something about the color of my skin that could tell them how long I was without oxygen.
Scary stuff - thanks for sharing the details, and glad you guys had the training!
Didn’t die but passed out and had water in my lungs, didn’t do same as you but went in the rapids in a river swimming during the summer as a kid, large amount of rain and a tree fell. Got sucked up under it and was trapped between the branches and the river gravel. Burning lungs and my face feeling like it was being drug across a cheese grater is the only thing I remember. Horrifying way to go.
You’re making your regular commute, a bit annoyed with the sudden traffic backup, and then you’re suddenly falling with no warning, then struggling to not drown in your car.
It’s insane how everything can go from normal to terrifying. I hope those who lived through this have help coping, and am sorry for the victims and their families. It’s so tragic.
There was a live-stream where you can scrub to the minute where the bridge is gone (1:28:43 by the time-stamp inside of the video, not the YT timestamp). The Ship apparently lost all the lights 2-3 times shortly before impact. Maybe it was a problem with that. We also noticed a lot of hacking activities in the last weeks. Maybe it was that.
Better to wait for more details to come out than to speculate wildly.
Idk I’m going with space lasers and you can’t convince me otherwise.
A guy at work showed me the footage on his phone. Whatever shit news site he was pulling from had the headline, “DEI focus by The transportation department under Pete buttigiege results in bridge collapse”.
They didn’t even wait half a day to start lying.
Sigh.
Yeah, not everything bad that happens is intentional despite how much some people want that to be the case.
FBI confirms not an act of terrorism rn
Here’s a quick take on the cause of the crash:
. Ship power cut off and the pilot panicked and threw engines into reverse (as seen by engine exhaust) . ‘Prop walk’ turned the ship starboard into the bridge supportIt doesn’t look like it was lined up right to begin with.
It was. Just a weird angle on the camera.
Wow, that was a wild shot of the collapse.
