@ikmarchini
When the Morandi road bridge collapsed in Genoa, Italy in 2018 the same thing happened- some vehicles saw the gap and stopped in time and tried to wave down oncoming traffic, while other drivers, in a big hurry, ignored the signal and plummeted to their grave. I taught my daughter- when the car ahead of you stops or swerves for no apparent reason you do the same. They see something you don't. Could save your own life.
@poponachtschnecke
The mayday calls in these videos are so gut wrenching. It makes the story of what happened so much more real, and makes the central figures much more relatable.
@Cyph3rX
The radio traffic calls-- they give me chills. It's the truest form of humanity to me. The truest essence of these people, rising to the surface in a moment of calamity. I truly thank god that people like this exist.
@Schmowd3r
I’m glad that the NTSB moved away from fault-based investigations. Concluding “he shouldn’t have made the mistake he made” is so insufficient. Especially for preventing a disaster like this in the future
@russlehman2070
The guy who escaped out of his truck at the bottom and survived is incredible. I don't think one person in ten thousand would be able to do that.
@thesisypheanjournal1271
I feel so bad for the poor guy who backed up and tried to stop the other traffic. He must have had nightmares for the rest of his life.
@uzaiyaro
I will say it’s somewhat refreshing that John had a heart in this. Not saying he should feel guilty for the rest of his life, not at all, but him doing all he could to ensure this never happens again, deserves a huge amount of respect.
@leftylou6070
I remember my mom driving over the 1st span of the original bridge to get to Dr. Webbs City in St. Pete in the late 50's. This guy is right about the 5% grade. It was awful steep and scary to drive over, and all I had to do was sit in the car while my mom drove. That was a terrible accident, one thing the narrator did not tell you was the one car stopped on the steel grate in a downward grade position. The man driving made it out of the car, then realized he left his golf clubs in the trunk. He went back and got them without a single thought of the danger.
@Greystar2426
As a Tampa Native I always see how busy those fishing piers on each end of the old bridge can get. It's good that there is a large public reminder of the past that is still intact there, and that some of the old structure still has a use.
@scottdetter
We went over that bridge pre1980. Dad would always stew around and at the top of the bridge announce to us kids “ok boys this is your stop” we were terrified but through the years had great fun with his antics. Never imagined it would fall. I have been terrified of bridges since then. BTW I love my Dad!
@stonefox2546
It feels seriously reckless to put up that kind of bridge structure across a shipping lane and NOT put any lights/ radar reflectors on the bridge itself on the pylons that make the edges of the lane. Not even a more tight line of buoys on the stretch after the bend.
@Flyboy207
Listening to the radio traffic is incredible to me, specifically the tug Dixie Progress. You can hear the urgency in the captain's voice, and imagine the crew's rush to anchor the barge and the big EMD diesel engines howling to push her to the collapse scene. I know that you envision what happened when you get the call, but when you actually get there your stomach still drops. It must have been terrible for them to get on scene and realize that nobody could be saved.
@hrunchtayt1587
Tampa local here, thanks for actually covering this very forgotten disaster that barely anyone outside of Tampa really knows. It’s odd going fishing on the old sections of the skyway that remain and remembering that people once drove on those sections of road with some never coming back. The only really cool things we got here in Tampa that come to my mind at least is the bridge, the old USS American Victory, The CSX port Tampa line, the aquarium, and some other stuff I’m forgetting. We got a very good Irish-pub that’s downtown called Hattricks with an extremely good duck poutine dish.
@InchonDM
It is extremely distressing that as soon as I heard about the news of the bridge collapse in Baltimore, I thought of this video, and started immediately looking to see if there were dolphins or island piers around the Francis Scott Key Bridge pillars. None. The FSK Bridge was opened three years before the Sunshine Skyway went down, and in the forty years since, none of the protections learned from the Sunshine Skyway seem to have been placed around it. So the story repeats itself, with a new bill of blood, sweat, and tears to pay.
@chiroquacker2580
I have lived 30 minutes from the skyway for nearly my entire life and remember this when I was a kid. The only effect it had on my family was that my uncle was supposed to be crossing the bridge on the day of collapse and my aunt was very worried until he made it home safely. One other person my family knew was on the bridge and attempted to / accidently took a photograph as it happened but the picture didn't turn out or show anything. This person also made it home safely. Later on I also remember seeing the remnants as I was traveling with my parents on the surviving span, and I also saw the remnants at a distance on the horizon from Anna Maria Island and the Cortez Road Bridge. The impression I had was that it was the twin of the surviving span that just for some reason suddenly stopped near the apex in a shockingly perfectly clean break. The new bridge was a huge deal because of it's striking new design and new safety features, and is considered the flagship bridge for the state of Florida. I do feel bad for the summit venture pilot. He was doing his job correctly and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was also noted that after the collapse, the toll booth collectors for the bridge didn't know it had happened and were still letting people go through for a while. Also of note: While the new bridge is much safer, it also offered a much better view of the ocean far below which was unnerving for some people including my mother.
@WoWSoka
The skyway bridge fell 3 years after the Francis Scott key bridge was built in Baltimore. In the ~55 years since I’m surprised bridges across the USA (or at least bridges over major shipping hubs) haven’t had their piers reinforced to protect motorists from the threat of ever larger ships striking the supports.
@robertlevine2152
I have been involved with two significant accidents one involving a grounding and oil spill, the other a collision with a bridge in poor visibility, ironically both involved the same master. I am a naval architect and not a licensed mariner. In the grounding a tanker that was being taken to an anchorage under the guidance of a pilot was moved to an anchorage where the depth of the water was less than the draft of the tanker. The tanker's hull was breached and 5700 barrels of crude oil spilled. Like in Tampa the pilot had a questionable history, and more importantly the ship's master did not overrule the pilot's instructions even though he knew there was a draft issue and grounding was imminent. In the second incident the tanker, with a pilot onbard left it's mooring in reduced visibility. As the tanker approached the bridge visibility was decreasing. The vessel sideswiped the dolphin and two holes were torn in the side of the tanker. One was 10' high by 100' long and the second was 10' by 200'. Luckily, the tanker was empty and it was inerted. The dolphin was designed to cut the hull of the ship and to dissipate the energy of the vessel. The tanker looked as if it was cut with a can opener, 1" steel was cut cleanly. There were steel bolts from the dolphin that were driven through the steel. There was a piece of concrete the size of a VW Bug in one cargo tank that had to be broken with jack hammers for removal. It was the only time I've seen wood from railroad ties driven through steel. The civil engineers that designed the bridge did their work flawlessly. I've had the chance to pilot tankers on simulators and I can say I have hit every object possible. I don't believe I ever successfully navigated a simulation. Operating a ship is not like driving a car. It requires that decisions be made long in advance of the ship moving. I always thought it felt as if it were in slow motion. It is also is important to remember as a ship slows the effectiveness of it's rudder decreases due to loss of lift. This is why aides such as thrusters, oversized or high lift rudders should be considered. R. A. Levine
@1tobicat
I remember crossing the bridge in early ‘80’s. Both directions were sharing one span while the other span was closed. It was a white knuckle ride, oncoming traffic on a two lane bridge, 150’ over the water at highway speeds. All I could think was WTF?! Then the span next to us just stopped. I learned of the tragedy later that day. I cannot imagine going off the bridge. RIP to those that did.
@JDsVarietyChannel
6:34 "It was a vessel considered well traveled, with a crew of much seafaring experience" After that statement, I could sense what was coming next an got chills. "On Friday morning, May 9th, 1980" I reckon the positive in this situation is that it wasn't solely due to the actions of numerous, heartless, greedy or careless individuals leading to certain death. But an unfortunate circumstance, brought about by a worst case scenario. If I've learned anything about these tragedies, it's that's all infrastructure should be patterned after such, but frequently are, due to cost cutting and the urgency to complete said projects. As some would say "time is money"
@BrickImmortar