One of the survivors of the Baltimore bridge disaster managed to escape because he was able to roll down his car’s manual window, an attorney said.
Julio Cervantes was on the 2.6 km long structure when it crashed into the Patapsco River after being hit by the Dali, a huge container ship which lost control and struck one of the supports from the bridge last month.
Mr. Cervantes and another man were rescued the same day, but six other roads workers were killed.
Lawyer Chris Stewart said the workers were sitting in their vehicles during a break to repair potholes on the bridge and had “no warning” that Dali was heading towards them.
As his car fell into the water, Mr. Cervantes survived after escaping through his vehicle’s manual window, Mr. Stewart said at a news conference, the Baltimore Sun reported.
Mr Cervantes’ wife previously told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News that “it was a miracle he survived” given his inability to swim.
Although he was injured, Mr. Cervantes clung to debris in the water until he was rescued.
Mr Stewart said Mr Cervantes had lost family members in the bridge collapse and would eventually share the “epic story” of his survival.
Mr. Cervantes was taken to hospital after being rescued from a chest injury and was released the same day.
Of the six deaths, four bodies have been found.
Crew dismantles collapsed bridge
It emerged after the disaster that personnel on board the ship were able to alert the Maryland Department of Transportation that they had lost control of their vessel.
This meant that local authorities could interrupt traffic on the bridge before he was hit, with the American president Joe Biden saying it “undoubtedly saved lives.”
THE The FBI has opened a criminal investigation in the collapse of the bridge which will be at least partly focused on the Dali and whether its crew left the port knowing that they had serious problems with their systems.
Security investigators recovered the ship’s black box, which provides data such as its position, speed, heading, radar and audio and radio communications on the bridge.
The remains of the bridge still cross the freighter, blocking the shipping lane.
