By Erin Kayata
A container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday morning, causing it to partially collapse into the river below.
Eight members of a construction crew were believed to have been on the bridge at the time. Two were pulled from the water, but rescue teams were still searching for six others as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Associated Press.
Vehicles also fell from the bridge, but nobody was believed to have been in them. A mayday call sent out prior to the collision about 1:30 a.m. enabled officials to stop traffic approaching the bridge, no doubt saving many lives.
Still, people who viewed horrific video of the collapse saw their worst fear come to life, and left many wondering: Would it be possible to survive a 180-foot fall into 50 feet of water and escape a submerged vehicle?
Stephen Wood, director of Northeastern’s Extreme Medicine certificate program and a disaster medicine expert, said the odds of someone surviving a catastrophic collapse like the one in Baltimore would be slim, but people can live through a vehicle submersion if prepared.
