Bridge phobia: Key Bridge collapse has intensified fear in some travelers

BALTIMORE -- The world saw the unthinkable happen Tuesday morning when a cargo ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge. 

The iconic bridge in the Patapsco River instantly collapsed, plunging eight construction workers into the water amid a mess of metal and concrete.

This disaster unlocked a new fear for many and intensified existing fears for others driving over tall bridges.

Because our area is surrounded by water, bridges are difficult to avoid.

"I get hives and I shake and I can't talk and I just have the worst anxiety with it," a Maryland resident said. "Even if my husband drives, I have to look down the whole time."

For some, driving across a bridge, especially over water, can send them into a panic.

"If I can see the water, that's what terrifies me the most," a Maryland resident said. "My intrusive thoughts are just like, 'We're going over.'"

The fear can be debilitating.

The fear of bridges – or gephyrophobia – is a combination of various phobias, making it more severe.

"Fear of water, fear of height, fear of driving and the most common phobia, which is agoraphobia, which means inability to escape," said Dr. Jyoti Kanwar, with the University of Maryland Medical Center.

"If you're going off a bridge like in a car, what do you do?" a Maryland resident said.

It's more common than you'd think.

Steven Eskew, who owns Kent Island Express, a Chesapeake Bay Bridge drive-over service, told WJZ that during their busy season, they drive up to 40 people over the 4.3 mile-long and 186-feet-tall Bay Bridge each day.

"We meet them there, get into their vehicle, drive them across, and drop them off at a safe spot on the other side," Eskew said.

Eskew says their calls nearly quadrupled after the Francis Scott key bridge was struck by a cargo ship and collapsed.

"I never thought that that could happen," a Maryland resident said.

A woman, who didn't want to appear on camera, told WJZ that the footage of the bridge collapse intensified her phobia.

"I have the worst fear ever of bridges and that made it probably 100 times worse honestly," she said. 

"You feel like, 'Oh, what if I was on it?' or 'What if next time I'm on a bridge, a similar thing happens?'" Kanwar said.

Kanwar says that even a vicarious experience like watching the bridge collapse can trigger a phobia. 

She says if a phobia is impacting your ability to function, psychotherapy can help.

"Trauma focused therapies are available readily and this is a very treatable condition," Kanwar said.