TURNER STATION, Md. — One year since the Key Bridge collapsed, taking the lives of six men, Turner Station neighbors turn to worship to heal community wounds.
"It was devastating; even though I didn't know the people, I felt like I did know the people. It's like when one hurts, we all hurt," said church member Desiree Kellam.
Neighbors, faith leaders, and government officials filled Mount Olive Baptist Church Wednesday night to honor the lives lost, families still affected, and thank our first responders.
Senior Pastor Rashad Singletary told WMAR 2 News that even though time has passed, the pain is still very much there.
"Grief is a process, and at the end of the day, our responsibility as a church is to pray and provide resources and support for families, and so it's not just gonna stop just because it's a year, but it'll go on for a lifetime," Singletary said.
Congressman Johnny Olszewski, also in attendance, was the County Executive when the bridge fell.
"This was an experience that no one prepares for when you run for office, that you can't know how to respond; you just respond, and I'm so proud of the ways in which this community came together," Olszewski said.
The sound of the collapse is still fresh in neighbors minds, like Whitney Fowlkes.
"It was a big boom. I did not know what it was."
And many of them are still not used to its absence in the skyline.
"The bridge was a total; it was so important to the Dundalk area. The Key Bridge, come on. It doesn't even look the same when I look over to the left over there," church member Robert Gregory, a Mount Olive Baptist Church member, told WMAR 2 News.
But Pastor Singletary said he's sure his community will bounce back.
"Turner Station is a very resilient community. Despite all the social disparities they've experienced before the bridge collapse, we've banded together to be even stronger to figure out how do we work through rough times because we know they'll get better."
Neighbors say they now look forward to the bridge rebuild that's expected to be completed in 2028.
