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Construction worker escaped Baltimore Key Bridge collapse after last-minute shift change: ‘I give thanks to God’

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Published March 27, 2024, 10:03 p.m. ET

DUNDALK, Maryland — A Baltimore construction worker who would have been on the Francis Scott Key Bridge if not for a last-minute shift change is mourning his colleagues who died when the structure collapsed. 

Moises Diaz, 45, of Brawner Builders is grieving for the men he viewed as “family” — while also counting his blessings after avoiding the disaster, he told The Post in an exclusive interview Wednesday.

“If I didn’t ask to switch, I would have been in the water right now,” Diaz said through a translator. 

Moises Diaz, who worked with the Brawner Builders workers who perished in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse is interviewed near the collapsed structure in Baltimore, Maryland on Wednesday, March 27, 2024.
Brawner Builders worker Moises Diaz was supposed to work on the Francis Scott Key Bridge the night of the collapse but requested a shift change. Ron Sachs – CNP for NY Post

“It’s tragic. I’m really appreciative that I wasn’t on the bridge. I give thanks to God.”

At least eight people working on the bridge plunged into the Patapsco River when a massive shipping container lost power and barreled into the structure.

Two people — a state inspector and a contractor from an engineering firm — were rescued shortly after, one of whom was seriously injured and the other who refused treatment.

The bodies of two construction workers with Brawner Builders were pulled from a red pick-up truck submerged 25 feet below the surface around 10 a.m. near the middle span of the bridge Wednesday morning.

Wreckage lies across the deck of the Dali cargo vessel, which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse, in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., March 27, 2024.
The bodies of two construction workers were pulled from a drowned vehicle on Wednesday morning. REUTERS

The two victims were identified as 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, who was from Mexico and lived in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, who was from Guatemala and lived in Dundalk. 

Four other men on the Brawner Builders crew are still missing, but are presumed dead.

Diaz identified them as Miguel Luna of El Salvador, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval of Honduras, Jose of Guatemala and Carlos of Mexico.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott briefing the press at the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, following the collision with the containership Dali
Officials suspended search and rescue efforts, stating the conditions of the wreck were too dangerous. EyePress News/Shutterstock

“They were good people,” Diaz said of the workers.

The group was on break at the time of the tragedy, and sitting in their cars drinking coffee and eating when the bridge collapsed.

Everything you need to know about the Francis Scott Key Bridge's collapse in Baltimore

  • The Dali, the Singapore-flagged container ship that smashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and destroyed it early Tuesday, reportedly lost propulsion and tried to warn officials that it was going to crash, according to a report.
  • Six people were unaccounted for, according to authorities. Two people were pulled from the river by rescuers.
  • Seven vehicles were missing after falling from the 1.6-mile-long span. Officials are using sonar technology to find the vehicles.
  • Videos show power on the ship flickering off, and then on again, shortly before the crash. Watch footage of the bridge’s collapse here.
  • A Baltimore resident described how the horrifying collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday caused his entire house to feel like it was falling down.
  • The Dali was also involved in a collision while leaving the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016.
The ship's path before the collision into Baltimore Key Bridge.
The ship’s path before the collision into Baltimore’s Key Bridge.

Follow along with The Post’s coverage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.

“When I found out about it, I got a notification. I remembered, ‘Oh my coworkers are on that bridge working. What happened to them?'” Diaz said.

According to Diaz, he and his crew have been continuously working to fill potholes in the asphalt of the bridge.

Wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, collapsed after a cargo ship collision, with metal structures scattered in the water
Diaz described his lost coworkers as “family” and “good people.” AP

The Brawner Builders men built close relationships during their long shifts working in different tunnels and bridges in the Baltimore metro area.

“We are all basically a family. We work 8-10 hour shifts and are all close to one another,” Diaz said.

He spoke with Sandoval’s brother-in-law in the hours after the tragedy, and indicated that the family has already come to terms with their loved one’s death despite his remains still having not been located.

“They’re worried,” he said. “They at least want to know that the bodies are in the water. All the families are hoping that they at least find the bodies of them.”

View of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge from Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland on March 27, 2024
Four other men on the Brawner Builders crew are still missing, but are presumed dead. REUTERS

“They were good citizens. They were good workers, hard-working. They were good family members, husbands and dads.”

Rescuers suspended search and rescue efforts shortly after finding the pair, with officials saying the conditions were too dangerous to continue.

Once the debris from the bridge is removed from the water, divers will be deployed once again to locate the remaining cars and bodies.

The cause of the disastrous overnight collision is still unclear, but the Coast Guard revealed the container ship had been undergoing “routine engine maintenance” in the port shortly before it lost power.