Key Bridge Collapse Survivor Relives Fall, Deaths Of Co-Workers, 'All The Time': Report

Correction: An early version of this story said only one worker survived the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge; two workers survived.

BALTIMORE, MD — One of the two road crew workers who survived the plunge into the Patapsco River during the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse spoke publicly for the first time in a story published Wednesday.

Julio Cervantes Suarez, 37, told NBC he watched six other roadwork crewmates fatally fall into the Patapsco River nearly four months ago. Cervantes Suarez survived by rolling down his truck's manual window. NBC said Cervantes Suarez, who can't swim, fought to the surface and climbed onto a piece of floating concrete debris before activating his hard hat's flashlight to alert rescuers.

"I relive it all the time, the minutes before the fall and when I'm falling," Cervantez Suarez told NBC in Spanish.

These other crewmates, who were on a break from filling bridge potholes, died when the cargo ship Dali lost power and crashed into the bridge on March 26:

• José Mynor López
• Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes
• Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera
• Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval
• Carlos Daniel Hernandez Estrella
• Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez

Cervantez Suarez told NBC he still has pain in his chest, left knee and foot, but the emotional toll is much worse.

NBC reported that Cervantez Suarez told his nephew on the crew, Hernandez Estrella, to go sit in the truck and rest, but he didn't.

"If I had told him to come with me, maybe it would have been different. Maybe he would be here with us," Cervantez Suarez told NBC.

Maryland Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen on Wednesday asked a Congressional committee to support their bill requiring the federal government to cover 100 percent of the bridge rebuild costs. The White House also urged Congress to fully fund the replacement bridge.

The Baltimore Banner said the federal government usually pays for 80 to 90 percent of emergency infrastructure rebuild costs, and the state foots the remainder. Congress occasionally pays for the entire project if it's critical enough, but some senators are skeptical of paying for the entire replacement.

If approved, the federal government would receive all of the bridge's insurance payouts and potential court settlement money, The Banner said. Supporters argue this stipulation would offset the extra cost of paying for the full bill rather than the usual 80- or 90-percent majority.

To see Cervantez Suarez's full interview, read NBC's exclusive story.

Read all of Patch's Key Bridge collapse coverage here.

Four tugboats and a U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat escorted the Dali out of the Port of Baltimore on June 24. The Dali traveled under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which temporarily halted its traffic in advance as a precaution. The ship is now in Norfolk, Virginia, for repairs.

The 984-foot container ship had been in Baltimore since March 26 when it lost power and crashed into the Key Bridge, killing six road workers and costing over 1,100 port jobs.

The National Transportation Safety Board on June 24 said two malfunctioning electrical breakers caused the initial blackout aboard the Dali.

In April, Baltimore filed a case in federal court seeking to hold the cargo ship's owner fully liable for the bridge collapse.

Both the city and county of Baltimore have hired law firms to represent the jurisdictions in the legal ramifications of the disaster. The FBI is also investigating potential wrongdoing.

Ten of the Dali's crew members were recently cleared to leave the U.S., WJZ reported on June 24. WJZ said the remaining 11 crewmates, who are officers and higher-ranking members, will stay in Baltimore temporarily during ongoing litigation.

The crew is from India and Sri Lanka.

The clean-up started March 30 and required nearly 1,600 workers at its height.

The first of three temporary alternate channels for shallow-draft vessels opened on April 2. Recreational boats were allowed to return on May 9.

On May 13, controlled explosives freed the Dali from a 10-million-pound Key Bridge segment atop its bow.

All ships have been able to return to the port using a 400-foot-wide, 50-foot-deep channel since May 20. That's when crews refloated and relocated the Dali after it was grounded for 55 days.

Crews on June 4 removed the last large hunk of bridge wreckage blocking the Patapsco River. They later conducted surveys and recovered smaller debris before reopening the full channel on June 10.

The May 20 partial channel reopening beat the state's initial target of May 31, but the June 10 full reopening missed that goal slightly.

Commerce leaders think port traffic will rebound quickly, but they warned that the trucking industry will suffer until the bridge is rebuilt.

Officials estimated that the new crossing will open by fall 2028 and cost up to $1.9 billion. President Joe Biden (D) promised that the federal government would pay for the entire project.

The Maryland Transportation Authority announced on May 31 that it's accepting contractor proposals for the bridge rebuild. Proposals were due on June 24. The project team will be selected by late summer.

Related:

• Dali Blackout Caused By 2 Malfunctioning Breakers: MD Key Bridge Crash
• Dali Leaves Baltimore, Bay Bridge Closes During Voyage To VA
• Baltimore Channel Reopens Fully 11 Weeks After Ship Topples Key Bridge
• Port Of Baltimore Back To Full Force, MD Truckers Still Struggling
• 'You're Alive': Baker Among Last Drivers On Key Bridge Before Collapse
• Biden Views Key Bridge Collapse: 'Your Nation Has Your Back'
• Jobs In Limbo, Supply Chain Resilient After Baltimore Bridge Collapse
• 'I Didn't Think It Was Real': Residents React To Key Bridge Collapse