In a tragic incident that shook Baltimore city, new insights have emerged on the quick thinking and courageous actions taken by the police to prevent further loss of lives when a massive cargo ship lost control and collided with the historic Francis Scott Key Bridge last week.
Audio recordings from the police radio disclose the stunned and disbelieving voices of officers who were first alerted about the unfolding disaster. As one officer remarked “The whole bridge just fell down!”, the audio captures the stressful moments where seconds mattered to stop oncoming traffic.
While dispatching officers to block traffic on both ends of the bridge, one can hear the instructions “We got to stop all traffic, there is a ship approaching that has lost its steering”. Other officers were also diverted to immediately evacuate construction workers engaged in routine repair work on the bridge. Their timely response is believed to have saved multiple lives otherwise endangered by the collapse that ensued.
In the days since the tragedy that claimed six souls, investigations are ongoing to understand the technical failures that caused the massive cargo ship to lose control. However, buried in the details of that fateful night was the heroic efforts of the Baltimore police who swung into action putting service before self to prevent further casualties through their coordinated response.
The newly released audio is a somber reminder of the brave police personnel who don't hesitate to risk their own safety at a moment's notice, if it means even one life could be spared from harm's way. As the city comes to terms with the losses, their courage and quick thinking in the face of disaster deserves highest appreciation.
