Current:Home > FinanceLast-minute shift change may have saved construction worker from Key Bridge collapse-InfoLens
Last-minute shift change may have saved construction worker from Key Bridge collapse
View Date:2024-12-23 11:25:01
Moisés Díaz was scheduled to fill potholes on the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning, but a last-minute shift change may have saved his life.
"Every day we give thanks to God for life," Díaz told CBS News.
But while he's thankful, Díaz is grieving the loss of the six fellow construction workers — men he calls brothers — who died when the bridge collapsed.
"I saw my friends as family members," he said. "The ones that died in this tragedy."
Díaz met with one of the surviving workers and his family on Wednesday. He said the crew had finished filling potholes and were sitting in their cars waiting for the concrete to dry so the lane could be reopened when the Dali, a massive cargo ship, struck one of the Key Bridge's support columns.
Julio Cervantes, one of the two workers who survived the collapse, managed to crawl out the window of his sinking truck, Díaz told CBS News.
"He thought, 'I'm going to die here,'" Díaz said. "And even though he can't swim, he survived."
Díaz says Cervantes' chest was crushed during the escape, but that he was stable as of Thursday. The trauma of the collapse remains, according to Díaz, who said his friend can't stop replaying the tragedy in his head.
In the hours after the collapse, thermal imaging technology was used to look for victims.
"That was our main focus that night around 4 a.m. was using that thermal imaging just to try to locate anybody," said Jordan Olszewski, of the Baltimore County Police Department.
On Wednesday, Maryland State Police pulled the bodies of Alejandro Hernández Fuentes and Dorlian Castillo Cabrera out of the Patapsco River. Divers have been unable to reach the four people still missing due to dangerous debris from the bridge.
One of the victims still in the river is Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval. His brother told CBS News he wishes he could have stopped him from going to work that morning.
Nicole SgangaCBS News reporter covering homeland security and justice.
TwitterveryGood! (581)
Related
- Harriet Tubman posthumously named a general in Veterans Day ceremony
- Department of Defense says high-altitude balloon detected over Western U.S. is hobbyist balloon
- Jury convicts Southern California socialite in 2020 hit-and-run deaths of two young brothers
- A Brewer on the Brewers? MLB player hopes dream becomes reality with Milwaukee
- Man Found Dead in Tanning Bed at Planet Fitness Gym After 3 Days
- Ahead of South Carolina primary, Trump says he strongly supports IVF after Alabama court ruling
- Ruby Franke's Sister Speaks Out After YouTuber Is Sentenced to Prison for Child Abuse
- Audrii Cunningham died from 'homicidal violence with blunt head trauma,' records show
- Brittany Cartwright Defends Hooking Up With Jax Taylor's Friend Amid Their Divorce
- MLB's jersey controversy isn't the first uproar over new uniforms: Check out NBA, NFL gaffes
Ranking
- Judge weighs the merits of a lawsuit alleging ‘Real Housewives’ creators abused a cast member
- U.S. lunar lander is on its side with some antennas covered up, the company says
- Ben Affleck's Dunkin' Super Bowl commercial leads to limited-edition Funko Pop figures
- South Carolina Welcomes Multibillion Dollar Electric Vehicle Projects, Even Though Many Echo Trump’s Harsh EV Critiques
- Digital Finance Research Institute Introduce
- Senators urge Biden to end duty-free treatment for packages valued at less than $800
- Bill headed to South Dakota governor would allow museum’s taxidermy animals to find new homes
- Louisiana advances a bill expanding death penalty methods in an effort to resume executions
Recommendation
-
Quincy Jones' Cause of Death Revealed
-
Backstory of disputed ‘Hotel California’ lyrics pages ‘just felt thin,’ ex-auction exec tells court
-
Senators urge Biden to end duty-free treatment for packages valued at less than $800
-
Tired of diesel fumes, these moms are pushing for electric school buses
-
Martha Stewart playfully pushes Drew Barrymore away in touchy interview
-
Lulus’ Buy 3-Get-1 Free Sale Includes Elegant & Stylish Dresses, Starting at $15
-
Cleats left behind after Jackie Robinson statue was stolen to be donated to Negro League Museum
-
Federal judge grants injunction in Tennessee lawsuit against the NCAA which freezes NIL rules