Man who survived 1972 bridge collapse recalls teaching his wife to swim just days before the tragedy

The last 48 hours have been devastating for the city of Baltimore as its fellow citizens witnessed the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. This accident took place on Tuesday morning when a commercial vessel ran into and hit the supporting beams of the bridge, which momentarily triggered the collapse. After the Baltimore bridge disaster, an old man named Al Donal has come forward to share his personal experience of a similar tragedy he faced in 1972 when the Sidney Lanier Bridge in Brunswick collapsed.

Hailing from Montgomery County, Al Donal and his wife survived a similar bridge collapse more than 50 years ago in Brunswick, Georgia. In the aftermath of the Baltimore tragedy, Donal has urged affected families to hold on to hope as search and rescue teams continue to look for survivors in the Patapsco River. Al also narrated his own experience with his past tragedy. He was returning from his honeymoon with his wife Mary Ann when a ship hit the Sidney Lanier Bridge and plunged the couple into the Brunswick River.

According to CBS Philadelphia, an overwhelmed Al said, “I get emotional, I’ll be honest. We were coming back from our honeymoon, from Disney World.” Describing the tragedy, he further added, “You see this thing of lights coming up the river, the Brunswick River, and it keeps getting closer and closer. And, two guys ran past us and he said, ‘It’s gonna hit! It’s gonna hit’.”

The Sidney Lanier Bridge collapsed in 1972 when a cargo ship, African Neptune, hit the bridge on November 7. Because of the hit, several cars fell into the river. This incident claimed the lives of ten people, according to a report by Reuters. Moving on, Al recalled how glad he was to find out that his wife survived the collapse. He initially feared that he had lost his wife, but in the end, he had reunited with his beloved on hospital grounds. He said, “Chills all over. I yelled her name out, and she answered me.” Al also mentioned that he had taught Mary Ann how to swim just three nights before the tragedy. He shared, “I taught her how to tread water that night, thank God.”

Al and Mary Ann have been married for more than 50 years now, and currently share four children and four grandchildren. Because of their story, Al and Mary Ann’s daughter Jennifer has ventured into teaching children how to swim. She stressed the importance of swimming, “One thing I am passionate about is teaching swim lessons to young people. I think just being able to tread water is a life skill that everybody should know.” In the end, Al shared a message for the families of the people who have not recovered from the collapse and urged families to stay strong amidst the tragedy. His words, “Keep praying. Best thing in the world.”