Baltimore bridge collapse: Man who crossed moments before disaster says 'I'm really lucky'
Larry Desantis recalls driving over Francis Scott Key Bridge right before it was struck by cargo ship Dali
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A bakery worker who was one of the last people to have crossed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore before its collapse last week is telling his story, saying in recent interviews he is "really lucky" not to have been a victim of the disaster.
Larry Desantis told ABC News he believes he crossed the bridge early Tuesday between 1:26 and 1:27 a.m. while heading to his position as head baker at Herman’s Bakery in Dundalk. At 1:29 a.m., Maryland Transportation Authority Police dispatch audio captured an officer saying, "The whole bridge just fell down," after one of its support pillars was struck by the cargo ship Dali.
"It makes me think, you know. I mean, I'm really lucky," Desantis said. "One minute later, I wouldn't be here."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Maryland Transportation Authority Police had made a call to halt all traffic on the bridge just prior to the collision involving the Dali.
MARYLAND GOVERNOR SAYS CONDITIONS ARE ‘UNSAFE’ FOR RESCUE DIVERS AFTER BRIDGE COLLAPSE
The fallen Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is pictured on Sunday, March 31. (AP/Mike Pesoli)
"It was an eerie feeling because there were no vehicles at all," Desantis told ABC News while recalling traveling on the bridge at that time, adding that normally "you'll see 20 or 30 tractor-trailers coming and going."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He also said to WBAL that he wasn’t aware of the bridge collapse until a co-worker called him and asked where he was.
"While I'm sitting at the light, the woman here 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 said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Dali cargo ship rests against wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland. (AP/Matt Rourke)
The collapse left six construction workers dead. As of Monday, only two of their bodies had been recovered from the waters of the Patapsco River.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Saturday that conditions remain "unsafe" for rescue divers due to weather and debris following the collapse of the bridge.
The collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., March 27, 2024. (REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Conditions in the water make it unsafe for rescue divers. And we're not just talking about weather and wind," Moore said at a press conference. "We're talking about debris, we're talking about wreckage. We're talking about pieces of the Key Bridge that are in the water."
Fox News’ Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.