But there’s no time.

Traveling at a speed of just under 7 knots or about 8 mph, the ship rams into the bridge. The voyage data recorder captures what sounds like the collision at 1:29 a.m. The NTSB said Wednesday night that more analysis was needed to determine the precise time of impact.

An inspector contracted by the Maryland Transportation Authority who was standing on a section of the bridge that did not immediately collapse runs to safety at the end of the bridge.

Less than a minute after impact, the bridge shudders and folds. Six people, three passenger vehicles, one piece of construction equipment and one unidentified vehicle are thrown into the chilly water below. The pilot radios the Coast Guard about the collapse.

“The whole bridge just fell down,” a shocked transportation authority officer says. “Start … start whoever, everybody.”

1:29:27 a.m.

Your browser does not support the HTML5 Audio element.

1:40 a.m.: Baltimore City fire and emergency medical units are dispatched to the Key Bridge for a report of a possible vehicle in the water.

Your browser does not support the HTML5 Audio element.

1:44 a.m.: A second report over fire dispatch reports 13 members of a construction crew potentially in the water. Authorities believe six people were thrown into the water.

...continued

©2024 The Baltimore Sun. Visit at baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.