Maryland man who crossed the Baltimore bridge before it collapsed speaks out
BALTIMORE, Mary. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - A man who crossed Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge just before it collapsed last week is speaking out.
"If I was one minute later, I probably wouldn't be here now," said Larry DeSantis, a Maryland resident.
Still processing, DeSantis says he left from his job in Pasadena around 1:18am, roughly ten minutes before the bridge collapsed Tuesday morning, to head to his second job at Herman's Bakery in Dundalk.
"When I was getting on, there was a tractor trailer, but it only had a tractor, not the trailer part of it. I got in front of him and we both got on the bridge," DeSantis shared.
Construction
DeSantis says he was going around 45 miles per hour because of the construction. He says he saw construction workers once he got over the top part of the bridge.
"There was a police car when I went by right before I went on the toll bridge, but what I understand, they knew something was going to happen. So, he was waiting to get word to stop traffic so I guess I was like the last one to get through."
Larry DeSantis, Maryland resident
Once DeSantis got off the bridge, he didn't see or even hear the collapse. The only reason he knew is because one of his co-workers called him.
"While I'm sitting at the light, the woman called me and said, 'Where you at?' Because she knew...she said, 'Did you go home?' And I said, 'No, I just went over the bridge,' and she said, 'Well, it just collapsed,'" DeSantis further shared.
Grateful to be alive
DeSantis says he's still in shock, especially knowing some of the construction crew he passed on the bridge died in the collapse.
"No I know, and they still haven't found some of them...It's sad. I mean they're doing their job," DeSantis spoke.
Now counting his blessings, DeSantis says he's grateful to be alive.
"The guy I work with. We left at the same time. If we had stopped and talked for a minute, which we do a lot of times, but we both had other jobs to go to, so we just left," DeSantis added.
