THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapses

Baltimore weeps

Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses into the Patapsco River in Baltimore. Photo credit WJZTV.com

I have reoccurring nightmares where I am on a bridge and it suddenly gives way and I fall into the icy water below. I have had these dreams for years. As a result, I hate driving over high bridges.

Daughter and Husband find this irrational fear amusing and took great delight in putting me in the back seat of the car as she drove over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge one summer. She still had her learner’s permit, which meant someone had to be in the front seat with her. It would not be me. I kept my eyes closed and listened to music, trying not to focus on the cold water hundreds of feet below.

We live in the Baltimore area and like all Baltimoreans today I am devastated by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. A container ship, after apparently losing power and sending a mayday, struck the support pillars, causing a catastrophic collapse of the bridge.

Container ship hits Key Bridge in Baltimore. Photo credit Baltimore City Fire Department/Reuters and WJZTV.com

Although I don’t travel to this part of town often, the Key Bridge is a key thoroughfare in this area. I have traveled over it, white knuckles on the steering wheel the whole time.