‘Stand in solidarity’: Md. nonprofit raises nearly 100K for families of workers killed after bridge collapse
Emily Venezky | emily.venezky@wtop.com

March 28, 2024, 3:37 PM

Nearly $100,000 has been raised by a Maryland Latino grassroots organization for the families of the construction workers that died in the Patapsco River when the Francis Scott Key Bridge was hit by a cargo ship and collapsed on Tuesday.

Eight people fell into the water after the collision. Two were rescued after one ran from the bridge and the other swam to shore, but the other six — all workers part of a construction crew that was repairing potholes on the bridge — were missing for hours. Wednesday evening the bodies of two men were recovered and they were found trapped inside of a pick-up truck.

Authorities identified the two workers recovered on Wednesday as Alejandro Fernandez Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk. Fuentes was originally from Mexico, while Cabrera was from Guatemala. The bodies of the other four have yet to be recovered.

The GoFundMe was closed by organizers after raising way more than their original $18,000 goal in less than nine hours. They are now asking community members to contribute to the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs’ fundraiser to support the families instead.

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Emily Venezky is a digital writer/editor at WTOP. Emily grew up listening to and reading local news in Los Angeles, and she’s excited to cover stories in her chosen home of the DMV. She recently graduated from The George Washington University, where she studied political science and journalism.

emily.venezky@wtop.com