The Fall of a Landmark

In March of 2024, a container ship named Dali, collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. The Key Bridge, known as one of the longest continuous bridges on the East Coast and for its striking architecture, gained widespread reference in early 2024 as ¨the bridge that got hit by a container ship.¨ Happening in the midst of low-visibility conditions prompted by heavy fog, the container ship veered off course, hitting one of the Key Bridge’s support pillars in the early morning hours. The collision ultimately sent the Key Bridge plunging into the water of the Patapsco River below, which temporarily closed the bridge and caused traffic delays in the surrounding areas. Eight construction workers also plummeted into the Patapsco River while performing maintenance on the Key Bridge at the time, following the strike. Tragically, out of the eight construction workers, six of them lost their lives and the remaining two survived after getting rescued from the water. The Francis Scott Key Bridge’s collapse highlighted the risks faced by construction workers and their need for strict safety measures when it comes to this high-level of maintenance work, as well as raising major concerns about navigational safety regarding busy shipping lanes near the Key Bridge. To ensure navigational security and address public safety repercussions of the collapse, the U.S. Coast Guard initiated an investigation. Found facing power problems on the day of the crash, the Dali additionally ran into two electrical failures the day prior, before leaving the Port of Baltimore. Due to the power loss on the day of the crash, the ship’s steering failed, which resulted in the Dali plowing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge.