Skyway Bridge attorney reflects on Baltimore bridge collapse: 'My initial thoughts, Deja Vu'

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Tuesday's tragedy involving the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland was a painful reminder of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse in Tampa Bay more than 40 years ago. 

In 1980, a freighter rammed into the Sunshine Skyway Bridge's foundation, sending it crumbling. More than 30 people were killed in that collapse. 

Steven Yerrid was the attorney who led the recovery in 1980 as well as the producer of a documentary that detailed the Skyway Bridge disaster. He said the outcome in Baltimore was inevitable when he saw that the anchor pier wasn't protected. 

RELATED: Baltimore bridge collapse echoes 1980 Sunshine Skyway Bridge disaster in Tampa Bay

"I felt not only shock, but extreme sadness, because I knew other people had to unnecessarily lose their lives to learn a lesson that was taught 44 years ago," said Yerrid. 

Engineers in Tampa Bay said many different safety protocols were implemented in Florida after the Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapsed. 

The biggest thing put in place was called "dolphins," which are known as big concrete blocks used as barriers to protect the bridge pilings and columns. 

MORE: 6 presumed dead in Baltimore bridge collapse, says employer

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore did not have protective barriers surrounding it.  

"That [Key] bridge was built in 1977, so its old, but when we rebuilt the Skyway, it was a template for safe bridge construction all over the world," Yerrid told FOX 13. "It’s time for everybody to look in their backyard and make sure their backyard is safe."

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