The tragic Baltimore bridge collapse stunned the entire nation. It also appears to have inspired conversations about bridge crossing safety on social media.
In a viral TikTok video that has amassed over 1.2 million views as of late Tuesday, user Lauryn Jeter (@jeterky) shared a tip she learned as a child that is especially relevant in the aftermath of the tragedy.
“I’m not the only one who, as a child, was told you have to roll down all the windows in your car every time you drove across a bridge,” she began in the clip. “I know I’m not the only one.”
The woman said she was introduced to the theory about rolling down car windows while crossing bridges while visiting family members as a child.
“Every time we drove across the bridge, they’d be like ‘roll down the windows in case the bridge collapses, you need to swim out of the windows of the car to safety,’” she said.
For a while, she thought the suggestion was irrational. However, in light of the recent Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, she is now rethinking dismissing the advice.
“That bridge up in Maryland just collapsed like Legos,” she said.
A cargo ship struck the bridge in the early hours of Tuesday morning, resulting in the collapse. Videos of the calamity were widely shared online and on social media.
In the clip, Lauryn also ruminated on who should be held responsible for the apparent accident. Through news reports, she learned that the ship had both a captain and pilot who were responsible for sailing the boat. Ultimately, she did not think there was any foul play involved.
“My educated opinion is that I don’t think that this is intentional,” she said.
Earlier, the Daily Dot reported the ship, known as the Dali, had crashed before. The ship reportedly experienced mechanical issues before crashing into the bridge’s support beams.
@jeterky Absolutely tragic.. #keybridge ♬ original sound – Lauryn Jeter
In the comments section, some thanked the TikToker for the bridge crossing advice.
“I will do this forever now, thank you for the tip!” user Suzette wrote.
Others expressed sadness about the tragedy.
“Live 5 minutes from the bridge,” user Amy Mitchell wrote. “Everyone in Baltimore is in awe right now and just sad it is a staple here!!”
“Never heard that but will def do,” another user said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Lauryn Jeter via email for comment.
