In the wake of Tuesday’sFrancis Scott Key bridge collapse, a survivor of the 1972 Sidney Lanier Bridge collapse in Brunswick, Georgia, is sharing a message of hope.
Speaking toCBS Philadelphia,Al Donal was overcome with emotion as he recalled the events from November 7, 1972.
Al had been returning from his honeymoon with his wife Mary Ann — who also survived the bridge collapse — when a ship hit the Sidney Lanier Bridge and plunged the couple into the water below.
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“I get emotional, I’ll be honest,” Al said. “We were coming back from our honeymoon from Disney World.”
Image of the aftermath of the Sidney Lanier Bridge collapse in 1972.Savannah Morning News-USA TODAY NETWORK
Savannah Morning News-USA TODAY NETWORK
“You see this thing of lights coming up the river, the Brunswick River, and it keeps getting closer and closer,” he added. “And, two guys ran past us and he said, ‘It’s gonna hit! It’s gonna hit!’ "
The lights were coming from a ship that ended up hitting the bridge, causing Al, his wife and at least 22 others to fall into the water.
The incident is similar to the one that occurred in Baltimore on Tuesday, whena large shipping container struckthe Francis Scott Key bridge causing it to collapse into the Patapsco River. Six people were still missing as of Wednesday morning.
Recalling what happened after he woke, Al said he saw a woman trying to keep her head above the water.
“There was a woman out there and we were talking, and I had no idea who she was. She didn’t know who I was. We never identified ourselves,” he explained.
“Chills all over. I yelled her name out, and she answered me,” he told CBS Philadelphia, adding that he had taught Mary Ann how to swim three nights before.
“I taught her how to tread water that night, thank God,” Al said of his wife.
Al and Mary Ann are still married more than 50 years later, and share four children and four grandchildren. Because of her parents' story, Al and Mary Ann’s daughter, Jennifer, is passionate about teaching children how to swim.
According toReuters, 10 people died after the Sidney Lanier Bridge collapse.
Photo of the aftermath of the 1972 Sidney Lanier Bridge collapse.Jack West-USA TODAY NETWORK
Jack West-USA TODAY NETWORK
Meanwhile, on Tuesday it was revealed thesix people still missingwere presumed to have died following the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse.
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld revealed at a press conference on Tuesday Morning thateight workers were repairing potholeswhen the collapse happened.
Al shared a message for the families of the people who have not been recovered.
“Keep praying,” he said. “Best thing in the world.”
source: people.com
