BALTIMORE - Four construction workers are still missing after a cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge Tuesday morning.
But crews paused the recovery mission because of the wreckage posing challenges.
WJZ's Alexus Davila spoke exclusively with the wife of Jose Lopez, of one of the construction workers who remains missing.
Anxiety and pain haunt Isabel Franco every second that her husband is not in her arms.
Lopez was in a concrete mixer truck early Tuesday morning when a 985-foot cargo ship slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Four and a half hours later, she got a devastating call from the construction company.
"I feel bad," Franco said in Spanish. "Only God knows how hard my heart aches. Maybe he was desperate, trying to escape."
Franco said a coworker told her that the crew was told to pack up for the day and move out early because of weather conditions.
Later that night, police gave her sheets of PowerPoint slides mapping an overview of the search strategy with aerial maps and images of helicopters deployed. However, the update was not in Spanish, so she didn't understand.
Despite the tragic loss of her partner, Maria Franco expressed her disappointment that no local, state, or national political leaders have reached out to offer support.
With the help of her friend, Lilly Ordoñez, Franco shared how the language barrier has left her feeling desperate and uninformed.
"She's desperate. She feels bad. She doesn't see anything. She doesn't know anything and, yeah, she's desperate," Ordoñez translated.
Franco revealed that Jose Lopez had moved to the United States from Guatemala 19 years ago. While they shared one child together, Lopez was a loving father figure to all three of Franco's children.
"They are sad," Franco expressed. "They loved Jose."
Reflecting on Lopez, Franco added, "He had a good heart. He was a hard worker. He was always worried about his family too. He died but he was fighting for us always."
Franco also shared that Lopez had a close friendship with his Guatemalan coworker, Dorlian Cabrera, whose body was recovered on Wednesday.
"I feel bad," Franco said. "They were always together."
As the recovery mission is temporarily halted for salvage operations, Franco's sole desire is to have Lopez's body returned to his family.
"I feel bad a little bit still because I want the body," she expressed. "His family is desperate to see him too."
