'Everyone of them is shaken': Former ship driver says Baltimore bridge collapse similar to Bonner Bridge collapse
Tuesday’s bridge collapse in Baltimore reminded North Carolinians of a similar collapse in North Carolina 34 years ago.
On Oct. 26, 1990, a runaway dredge collided with the Bonner Bridge on the Outer Banks, causing a section of the bridge to collapse.
Rick Ball, a retired Oregon Inlet Coast Guard member called in to assist with rescues that day, said he could understand what the workers on the ship might have felt as it crashed into the bridge since he used to drive ships for the Coast Guard.
“Everyone of them is shaken,” he explained. “Everyone of them is, more than likely, having to struggle with the reality of what happened.”
Authorities in Baltimore say the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a cargo ship lost power and collided with a support beam.
Ball said bridge collisions are uncommon, but power loss is not and likely aided in the ship colliding into the bridge.
“it’s a catastrophic power loss like that, [it] means you’re losing your navigation, you’re losing your steering [and] the power to all of your hydraulics,” Ball said. “Your engines may still be running, but if you don’t have hydraulics, then your rudders that steer the ship won’t be able to do what it needs to do.”
In both collisions, crews were able to issue a mayday, giving authorities just enough time to prevent people from getting on the bridges.
While six construction workers are presumed dead in Baltimore, authorities believe they, along with two workers rescued on Tuesday, were the only ones on the bridge when it collapsed.
No one suffered injuries on the Bonnor Bridge in 1990, but several communities suffered economic setbacks, as the bridge was the only way for cars to reach Hatteras Island.
Many residents told WRAL News in 1990 that they struggled to get essentials to the island, and some people had their hours cut at their jobs because there was little to no business.
Ball said the debris in the harbor in Baltimore, plus the time it will take to rebuild the bridge, could have long-reaching economic impacts.
“The primary concern, other than safety and pollution, is opening that channel back up,” he explained. “If you can’t open up that channel, that’s $9 million a day of profit that’s being lost.”
