Current:Home > ScamsBaltimore bridge collapse victim, father of three, was "fighting for us always," wife tells WJZ -MoneyBase
Baltimore bridge collapse victim, father of three, was "fighting for us always," wife tells WJZ
Ethermac View
Date:2025-04-10 07:31:37
BALTIMORE - Four construction workers are still missing after a cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge Tuesday morning.
But crews paused the recovery mission because of the wreckage posing challenges.
WJZ's Alexus Davila spoke exclusively with the wife of Jose Lopez, of one of the construction workers who remains missing.
Anxiety and pain haunt Isabel Franco every second that her husband is not in her arms.
Lopez was in a concrete mixer truck early Tuesday morning when a 985-foot cargo ship slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Four and a half hours later, she got a devastating call from the construction company.
"I feel bad," Franco said in Spanish. "Only God knows how hard my heart aches. Maybe he was desperate, trying to escape."
Franco said a coworker told her that the crew was told to pack up for the day and move out early because of weather conditions.
Later that night, police gave her sheets of PowerPoint slides mapping an overview of the search strategy with aerial maps and images of helicopters deployed. However, the update was not in Spanish, so she didn't understand.
She said no local, state or national political leaders have reached out to her.
Her friend, Lilly Ordoñez, helped translate to us how the language barrier makes her feel.
"She's desperate. She feels bad. She doesn't see anything. She doesn't know anything and, yeah, she's desperate," Ordoñez said.
Franco said Lopez moved to the United States 19 years ago from Guatemala.
They have one child together but he was a loving father to all three of her children.
"They are sad," Franco said. "They loved Jose."
"He had a good heart," she added. "He was a hard worker. He was always worried about his family too. He died but he was fighting for us always."
She said Lopez was good friends with the other Guatemalan coworker Dorlian Cabrera, whose body was recovered Wednesday morning.
"I feel bad," she said. "They were always together."
But now with the recovery mission on hold to finish the salvage operation, Franco only wants one thing.
"I feel bad a little bit still because I want the body," she said. "His family is desperate to see him too."
veryGood! (54)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Mother of Georgia shooting suspect said she called school before attack, report says
- Notre Dame's inconsistency with Marcus Freeman puts them at top of Week 2 Misery Index
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mountainsides
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Jennifer Lopez slays on Toronto red carpet, brings 'sass' to 'Unstoppable' role
- Who is the highest-paid NFL player? Ranking the highest NFL contracts for 2024 season
- You can get a free Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut on Saturday. Here's how.
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Jonathan Owens scores Bears' first TD of the season on blocked punt return
Ranking
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- East Timor looks to the pope’s visit as a reward after 20 years of fragile stability
- As Climate Threats to Agriculture Mount, Could the Mississippi River Delta Be the Next California?
- College football Week 2 grades: Michigan the butt of jokes
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- How many points did Caitlin Clark score Friday? Lynx snap Fever's five-game win streak
- Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods Prove Their Friendship is Strong 5 Years After Feud
- Maui’s toxic debris could fill 5 football fields 5 stories deep. Where will it end up?
Recommendation
North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
Week 1 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
Grand Canyon’s main water line has broken dozens of times. Why is it getting a major fix only now?
Hope for North America’s Most Endangered Bird
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
Cardinals' DeeJay Dallas gets first touchdown return under NFL's new kickoff rules
Authorities search for a man who might be linked to the Kentucky highway shootings that wounded five
You can get a free Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut on Saturday. Here's how.