Betz had been at the Skyway a few days before. Soon a crackling radio call from their boss confirmed it: There had been a terrible accident. These Are the Most Popular Items at America's Biggest Chain Restaurants. Another storm was coming, and the Eckerd boats were already filled with bodies. The Skyway Bridge Disaster documentary from Gables & Clark on Vimeo is available to watch now. He still obsesses over that stormy morning he and Betz spent pulling bodies from a Greyhound bus that had crashed into the bay’s choppy waters. "You look,” he said. “We may have people on that bus that are trapped in air pockets,” Betz thought as he swam down. Proceeds from the premiere screenings will benefit pediatric cancer treatment and research, including the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, 1-Voice Foundation, Children’s Cancer Center and Moffitt Cancer Center. About The Skyway Bridge Disaster Documentary On May 9, 1980, America witnessed one of the most stunning tragedies in maritime history when the M/V Summit Venture, a massive 608' bulk freighter, collided with one of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge's support columns. Where was the parent who owned the bag? “It was hard to leave that site knowing that there were still people out there,” Raiola said. Captain John Lerro was the 37-year old harbor pilot responsible for guiding the Summit Venture along one of the longest and most treacherous shipping channels in the world. Add the first question. A photo taken at the Skyway Bridge Disaster documentary premiere in 2019. The Bay's narrow and restrictive channels required a turn less than a mile from the mammoth bridge. Raiola pulled out victims to pass to Betz, starting with Michael Curtain, the bus driver. His wife Sarah said the book set off an obsession. A documentary about the 1980 Sunshine Skyway disaster has been released for on-demand audiences as the tragedy reaches its 40th anniversary. Near the bridge, boats circled the bay looking for floating bodies. Via Facebook. He’d held friends in his arms in Vietnam and watched as they died. With Bill DeYoung, Leslie Spencer, John Wilson, Steve Yerrid. Skyway Bridge Disaster Documentary. That’s when three cars, one pick-up truck and a Greyhound bus that was carrying 22 passengers drove past those motorists and toppled off the ragged end of the interstate. “We were prepared to go that morning,” Raiola said in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times this year. Covert asked the DOT divers to untie their boat so his crew could take the victims to a makeshift morgue at Mullet Key. Raiola thought, if he could have stayed longer, they could have recovered every victim. After a tense exchange, the Eckerd team agreed to tie the DOT boat off. He can still remember tying the body to the dive platform on the Eckerd boat. An on-scene Coast Guard commander with a large gun and a gold badge told the DOT divers to leave. It was unsafe to stay, he said. And even though it haunts him, he has not been able to stop thinking about the bridge inspection-turned-disaster response the day the Sunshine Skyway bridge collapsed 40 years ago this week. The DOT divers were not named, barely mentioned aside from the “tense territorial squabbling” with the Eckerd crew. See photos of celebrities like Scarlett Johansson and Leonardo DiCaprio before they hit the big-time, and revisit their earliest onscreen roles. Captain John Lerro was the 37-year old harbor pilot responsible for guiding the Summit Venture along one of the longest and most treacherous shipping channels in the world. The information in this story was gathered over four months, involving multiple interviews with Robert Raiola and Michael Betz and their family members. Betz agreed to be interviewed, too, to support his friend. More than 1,200 feet of the bridge crumbled into Tampa Bay, and 35 people plunged to their deaths in the turbulent and unforgiving waters below. He planned to return to find them. He loved to share stories about his dives, especially the times when he had to work among sharks or wrestle off alligators. © Provided by WWSB Tampa A documentary on the Skyway Bridge Tragedy is available to rent online. Raiola didn’t know about the book until he saw a flyer in 2018 about a speaking event featuring DeYoung. It was a rainy Friday morning when the cargo ship M/V Summit Venture collided with a support beam on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on May 9, … A father and grandfather. Documentary on Skyway Bridge tragedy available for streaming. He had only been diving three times before with Raiola. More than 1,200 feet of the bridge crumbled into Tampa Bay, and 35 people plunged to their deaths in the turbulent and unforgiving waters below. TAMPA, Fla. (WWSB) - A documentary on one of the state’s most tragic incidents is now available for rent on Vimeo. To commemorate the 40 year anniversary, we wanted to tell the story of two men who received little recognition for their efforts. From that day forward, the journey of Captain Lerro and Steve Yerrid, the young trial lawyer who came to represent him, was one of courtroom drama, heartbreaking struggle, hard-earned redemption, and the extraordinary bond of friendship that developed between a condemned client and his devoted lawyer. From that day forward, the journey of Captain ... FILM LIFE: The American Presidents and the History of the United States | Chapter 16. All rights reserved. With that being said, there was an infamous incident that occurred 40 years ago on this day and it may give you pause the next time you cross it. “They're not in the book because I didn't know they existed at the time.”. It didn’t seem right to leave. I'm sorry that I have to do this, he thought. A colorized photo of the Greyhound Bus that drove off the Sunshine Skyway bridge being being lifted from Tampa Bay on May 12, 1980, three days after the disaster. 40 years later, Frankie VanDeBoe and Steve Yerrid present a new documentary The Skyway Bridge Disaster relives that unforgettable day and its aftermath, taking viewers onto the bridge, inside the ship and into the courtroom through the experiences of the people involved, local leaders, and Yerrid himself. Kisinger Campo & Associates provided Construction Engineering Inspection services on this project. They’re also considering streaming the documentary as well as entering the movie in film festivals around the world. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. “It doesn't define me by anything.”. A Gray Media Group, Inc. Station - © 2002-2020 Gray Television, Inc. Now they tell their story. The Sunshine Skyway disaster remains one of Florida’s most tragic accidents. 35 people were killed. When they finally turned onto U.S. 19, they drove on the road's shoulder to swerve around the traffic. The truck deflected off the ship and sank, but the driver was able to swim to safety, becoming the only survivor. April 15, 2020 at 2:56 PM EDT - Updated May 9 at 6:40 PM, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa hosts blood drive for OneBlood, Selby Gardens sets goals for diversity and inclusion. They couldn’t have a funeral in N.J., so they had one at a St. Petersburg park. "There were many divers in the water that morning.". Photographs and information from the Tampa Bay Times archives were also used. Raiola felt relief to tell his story and set history straight. | Proudly powered by WordPress, 35 people plunged to their deaths in the turbulent and unforgiving waters below. From left: Robert Raiola and wife Sarah Raiola, Illana Betz and husband Michael … From left: Robert Raiola and wife Sarah Raiola, Illana Betz and husband Michael Betz. But Bill Covert, leader of the Eckerd team, was confused. A documentary about the 1980 Sunshine Skyway disaster has been released for on-demand audiences as the tragedy reaches its 40th anniversary. It was a rainy Friday morning when the cargo ship M/V Summit Venture collided with a support beam on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on May 9, 1980. 4.5K likes. A gender neutral Spanish pronoun? Copyright 2020 WWSB. For decades, few even knew that they’d been at the disaster. ), Screen shot from "The Skyway Bridge Disaster," a documentary on the 1980 tragedy that will premiere at the Tampa Theatre this week. “The Skyway Bridge Disaster” was produced by businessman Frankie VanDeBoe and Steve Yerrid, the attorney who represented the Summit Venture’s harbor pilot, Captain John Lerro. Nearly 40 years after the tragedy, The Skyway Bridge Disaster Documentary is now available to rent on Amazon Prime Video. Copyright Skyway Productions. DOT diver Michael Betz took this photograph and others in the days after the tragedy. He also tried to avoid looking closely. More than 1,200 feet of the giant structure crumbled into the unforgiving waters of Tampa Bay and 35 innocent people plunged to their deaths. “You don't leave anybody behind.”. Watch the documentary on Prime Video He was 59 years old. A truck, six cars, and the Greyhound bus plummeted, too, falling 150 feet before hitting the surface of Tampa Bay. His naturally red hair had turned strawberry blonde after long days swimming in the pool, and he was excited to start a new job where he could swim and shoot photos again. Rosselet was credited with reaching into the bus to grab the Greyhound driver. Betz had only been on the transportation department job for five working days. He didn’t want to chance the two of them getting trapped inside the narrow, mangled mess. Gliding through the water toward the bridge, he wondered: Would there be anyone left to rescue? We interviewed filmmakers Steve Yerrid and Frankie Vandeboe, and author Bill DeYoung.

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