Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore... (2 Viewers)

[superchuck500]

I don't understand this at all. Maybe if they were working under the bridge or over the side of the bridge a skiff would be beneficial. But they were repairing pot holes on the road surface. I think they are just looking to blame someone for something and this was just a terrible accident.

The point is that the ship started giving warnings several minutes before the allision - and that was soon followed by emergency services communication that were amazingly successful at limiting the human loss by closing the bridge and whatnot.

The skiff is required by OSHA whenever work is being done “over or near water” as this bridge work would certainly be included. And one of the stated functions of the skiff is to remain in direct (“walkie talkie”) contact with the work crew for emergency communication.

The point here is that had the company had the required skiff on location in the river, it likely would have been aware of the ship, aware of the emergency communications, and could have given the work crew more time to escape. Of course I don’t think we know what they actually knew and when, so it is speculative. But that’s the point that’s being made - it was required by law, it serves an emergency communication function, being a vessel on the river would have made it particularly relevant in this incident . . . and the company didn’t have it.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Well, a boat in the water would be more for someone falling off the bridge. Not the entire bridge coming down. Agreed that the odds aren't zero tho. As someone else suggested, maybe it was possible that there was a skiff there. Idk.

Well you don’t know what the problem will be before it happens- you have safety features in for what is possible not probable
Right?

 

[DaveXA]

Well you don’t know what the problem will be before it happens- you have safety features in for what is possible not probable
Right?

I don't think that's how it works. At least I don't think a bridge falling down was part of the calculus in judging the need for one. That said, if it's required, there obviously should be one on site. No one knows who knew what yet. I'm sure that will come out when the investigation is completed and made public.

 

[bigdaddysaints]

I don't think that's how it works. At least I don't think a bridge falling down was part of the calculus in judging the need for one. That said, if it's required, there obviously should be one on site. No one knows who knew what yet. I'm sure that will come out when the investigation is completed and made public.

i know at the plant i work at, if you work on or near the dock , you must wear a life jacket/vest the entire time. Or on the Gyp stack (basically a very tall lined pond). But at the height of that bridge, i am not sure someone would survive that fall.

 

[TheRealJRad]

i know at the plant i work at, if you work on or near the dock , you must wear a life jacket/vest the entire time. Or on the Gyp stack (basically a very tall lined pond). But at the height of that bridge, i am not sure someone would survive that fall.

I feel like that’s more reason to wear it. If the fall doesn’t kill you, it may seriously injure you to the point you can’t stay afloat.
Disclaimer: I am not a waterologist

 

[Madmarsha]

Yeah, the autopsy is gonna tell the story imo. If they died from blunt force trauma from the bridge collapse, boats in the water makes zero difference. If they drowned, then that's a different thing, although it's quite possible that the bridge could have pulled them underwater.

In the end, it may have been that there would not have been enough time to call them to get them off the bridge in time.

But they could have at least tried. I have not heard where they were positioned on the bridge relative to the ship's initial collision position. But it sounds like they got no "Run like hell!" warning at all.

 

[Madmarsha]

The truth is that the bridge quite possibly may have landed on a rescue skiff. The skiff presence is designed for “man overboard ” and not the entire bridge falling into the water.

That's a good point, too.

 

[Madmarsha]

TIL of the existence and the meaning of the word "allision". I was wondering why everyone's autocorrect was wonky.

 

[bigdaddysaints]

But they could have at least tried. I have not heard where they were positioned on the bridge relative to the ship's initial collision position. But it sounds like they got no "Run like hell!" warning at all.

i remember reading that on one radio transmission, someone was about to go get them off in s vehicle. but i think it went down before they could even attempt. also , until it fell down, i don't think they knew it was really gonna hit the way it did. shutting the bridge down to traffic was more of a precautionary situation, not a it's gonna hit and knock the bridge down situation .

 

[CoolBrees]

I don't build bridges but I build things that are over a million square feet and I use a lot of bridge cranes and tall scaffolding.

If you are on a system, doesn't matter what it is, if it collapses, you aren't going to survive. Even if you were falling on a pile of pillows the size of Crater Lake, you are now in a free fall with something that weighs hundreds, if not thousands, of tons. The blunt force of that hitting a human body would liquefy your insides. In water, your broken corpse might stay together.

More than likely they died from massive heart attacks as they were falling. At least let's hope.

 

[Madmarsha]

 

[Eeyore]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/13/us/pittsburgh-barges-bridges-ohio-river/index.html

 

[MarylandWHODAT]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/13/us/pittsburgh-barges-bridges-ohio-river/index.html

I think that unfortunately, this kind of stuff happens a lot more than we realize however, it is not in the media spotlight. Case in point was the summer of 2001. That was the "summer of the shark". It seemed like everyone was getting attacked by sharks. Shark attacks were actually higher in the summer of 2000 but there was no media coverage so life went on. The media grabs it in 2001 and now sharks are everywhere.

Fast forward to this unfortunate accident, you now have the media hunting down every single bridge, waterway incident.

 

[efil4stnias]

The point is that the ship started giving warnings several minutes before the allision - and that was soon followed by emergency services communication that were amazingly successful at limiting the human loss by closing the bridge and whatnot.

The skiff is required by OSHA whenever work is being done “over or near water” as this bridge work would certainly be included. And one of the stated functions of the skiff is to remain in direct (“walkie talkie”) contact with the work crew for emergency communication.

The point here is that had the company had the required skiff on location in the river, it likely would have been aware of the ship, aware of the emergency communications, and could have given the work crew more time to escape. Of course I don’t think we know what they actually knew and when, so it is speculative. But that’s the point that’s being made - it was required by law, it serves an emergency communication function, being a vessel on the river would have made it particularly relevant in this incident . . . and the company didn’t have it.

Construction company Workers Compensation carrier be like .... ( and thats if they had the requisite USL&H./Jones act coverage )

 

[superchuck500]

Construction company Workers Compensation carrier be like .... ( and thats if they had the requisite USL&H./Jones act coverage )

Yeah I think the skiff workers would be Jones Act seamen. I would imagine that most construction companies working a project like on the bridge and that are meeting the skiff requirement are contracting for it through some marine support company that provides the skiff and crew.