Victims from Key Bridge tragedy described as "exceptional human beings"
They were husbands and fathers who shared a love of soccer. Now, they’re being called heroes. Torres describes both men as “exceptional human beings.” Construction workers Miguel Luna and Maynor Suazo Sandoval were killed when a cargo barge crashed into the Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse. Gustavo Torres of CASA shared their experiences and how their loss has impacted their families. The men were described as "exceptional human beings" who shared a love of soccer. Torres described Sandoval as a "wonderful husband" who came from Honduras 17 years ago. For the past 10 years, the men and their families have been in CASA, volunteering on committees and supporting the Latino community here. Torres plans to support the families through emotional and financial support and is keeping informed about available resources.
Yayınlanan : 4 hafta önce ile By: Maria Morales, Maria Morales içinde
BALTIMORE — They were husbands and fathers who shared a love of soccer. Now, they’re being called heroes.
Gustavo Torres of CASA shares how construction workers Miguel Luna and Maynor Suazo Sandoval are being remembered and how their loss has impacted their families. The men were working on the Key Bridge when a cargo barge crashed into the bridge early Tuesday, causing it to collapse. Their bodies were recovered Wednesday.
“Miguel Luna was a father, three kids. Wonderful father,” Torres says. “He really wanted to be a small business owner, and part of his passion was to make a contribution to the community.”
The El Salvador native was married and had been in the U.S. for 19 years.
Torres described Sandoval as a “wonderful husband” who came from Honduras 17 years ago. Sandoval’s wife and two children were already planning for his birthday, which would have been on April 27, he says.
For the past 10 years, the men and their families have been in CASA, volunteering on committees and supporting the Latino community here. Now that community is coming together to support their families, just as they did last year when road construction workers who were CASA members were killed on the Baltimore Beltway.
“They are going to have huge needs,” Torres says. “From everything related with school for the kids with food, everything related with [making] sure that they send the bodies to the country of origin. All of that kind of thing is what we are going to support in the near future.”
Torres says he wants to make sure that the families receive the emotional and financial support they need, and CASA has been working with Baltimore City and the state to stay informed about what’s available. The organization is also staying in touch with the FBI and other federal government agencies involved in the investigation into the tragedy.
Torres says CASA will have some kind of tribute locally for the men once they find out if the remaining missing workers are members of CASA.
"Absolutely, we are going to do that,” Torres says. “They deserve [that]. From our viewpoint, they are heroes. They were building bridges to unite families and to unite communities.”
CASA has a way that you can help the Luna and Sandoval families through a set up by the City of Baltimore.
As their families mourn, both here and in their homelands, they are remembering the men that were lost.
“Something that we heard that they are going to miss,” Torres says, “is their joy and their humor. They were so passionate to work with the community, but at the same time, to enjoy life.”