Mexican who survived bridge collapse in Baltimore relives the tragedy all the time

• Only survivor of the bridge collapse.
• He lost six Latino colleagues.
• Baltimore sued those responsible.

Mexican Julio Cervantes Suárez is the only survivor of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

The accident claimed the lives of six Latino workers, including relatives of Cervantes Suárez.

In an interview with NBC News, Cervantes Suárez recounted the tragedy he witnessed.

He saw how the trucks where his companions were resting fell into the Patapsco River.

VEHICLE COLLAPSE IN THE RIVER: STORY OF JULIO CERVANTES SUÁREZ

The vehicle he was in also fell into the river.

“I thought we were not going to leave,” said Cervantes Suárez, originally from Michoacán.

There were seven workers carrying out repairs on the bridge in the early hours of March 26.

A container ship collided with one of the bridge pillars and caused the accident.

Cervantes Suárez recalled that he asked God to take care of his family and asked for forgiveness for his actions.

Among the deceased were his brother-in-law Alejandro Hernández Fuentes and his nephew Carlos Daniel Hernández.

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He called his companions, but no one answered.

He regretted not having his nephew stay by his side.

“If I had told him to come with me, maybe it would have been different,” he said.

He constantly remembers the minutes before the collapse and the moment when he fell into the water.

He realized the bridge was no longer there when he looked up.

Although he does not know how to swim, he managed to escape from the sunken truck and cling to some rubble.

RESCUE AND PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL CONSEQUENCES FOR CERVANTES SUÁREZ

He remained in the icy waters for 25 minutes until he was rescued.

He was treated for a chest injury and is still in pain months after the accident.

In addition to Cervantes Suárez’s relatives, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, Miguel Ángel Luna González, José Mynor López and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera died.

It took authorities weeks to recover all the bodies.

In April, Baltimore sued the companies that owned and managed the vessel involved.

The workers’ families have until September to file a claim in the litigation.

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