Several Dead After Miami Pedestrian Bridge Collapse

A 950-ton pedestrian bridge near Florida International University collapsed Thursday, killing several people and trapping cars under slabs of concrete just days after its installation.Eight cars were pinned underneath the damaged structure, Miami-Dade Fire Chief Dave Downey said. Eight people were taken to area hospitals, and authorities said around 100 firefighters were working at the scene to search for additional victims.Miami-Dade County Deputy Mayor Maurice Kemp confirmed there were mutliple deaths, but neither Kemp nor Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez would confirm an exact number.Susie Bermudez was driving and saw the bridge collapse right in front of her.”I was three seconds away from being under the bridge, but I looked forward. All of a sudden I saw the bridge collapse, and it started from the left side of the bridge and it really shocked me,” she told NBC News.”There’s probably like seven or eight cars under the bridge so it was very shocking to me, and I’m very grateful to be alive.”Jose Mejia was having coffee with city officials and police when the bridge gave way, he told MSNBC.“All of the sudden you hear a loud bang, and I looked to one of the command staff and said, ‘Oh my God!’ then they looked at me and they said ‘the bridge’ — I say, ’no, it can’t be!’” Mejia said. “And one of them runs to grab their radio and sure enough, it’s the bridge.”Mejia, who lives in Sweetwater, said he rushed to the scene with police where he saw numerous cars trapped under the bridge.”There was a young gentleman in a red Honda, and unfortunately there was nothing I could do, but he stuck his hand out and, at that point he passed away, he expired,” Mejia said.A family reunification center is located on the campus of FIU in the Student Academic Success Center Room 100. Families are advised to access the building via SW 16th Street and 107th Avenue or they can call 305-348-3481. The 174-foot-long bridge, scheduled to open to the public in early 2019, crossed Southwest 8th Street near 109th Avenue and was built to allow students living across the busy roadway to cross safely.The school released a statement shortly after the collapse saying they are “shocked and saddened” by the tragic events and are working closely with authorities and first responders on the scene.Mario Valdez learned his friend, a 28-year-old student at FIU, was injured and transported to a local hospital, but was going to be okay.“His sister called me, frantic, saying that he was injured,” Valdez told NBC Miami. “This guy, I consider him a brother. We grew up together. And it’s just so tragic.”The sister told Valdez his friend was crossing SW 8th Street to visit people on the other side when the bridge fell.47698572347698599Florida Gov. Rick Scott tweeted that he has spoken with Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez and will be in constant communication throughout the day. Scott will travel to the Southwest Miami-Dade location Thursday evening.U.S. Senator Marco Rubio will also travel to the area, while Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said that he is monitoring the situation while working out of the country, adding that “thoughts and prayers are with the people affected by this tragedy and with the first responders who are on the scene.”The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team of investigators to the scene, according to U.S. Senator Bill Nelson.”It is a cruel irony that the structure was built to keep FIU students safe as they walk from their residences to campus,” said U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson in a statement. “Thankfully the number of casualties was likely minimized because most of the students are on spring break, but any loss of life or injury is sorrowful.”U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, whose district includes the campus, expressed his sorrow over the tragic collapse.“The University is at the heart of the entire South Florida community. It’s a place where people from all over the world come to debate ideas, learn and grow. My staff, family and I are thinking of all those affected,” Curbelo said in a statement.The bridge was part of a $19.4 million project partially funded by the Department of Transportation and had been hailed in recent weeks for finishing ahead of schedule. The university promoted the project in a press release last week after the main span of the bridge was lifted from its temporary supports and lowered into its intended permanent position. FIU tweeted that the “first-of-its-kind pedestrian bridge” had swung into place.“FIU is about building bridges and student safety,” university President Mark B. Rosenberg said at the time. “This project accomplishes our mission beautifully.”The 30-foot-wide bridge — with the main span weighing around 950 tons — was to allow bicyclists and pedestrians to share the bridge. It was planned to illuminate at night and had a canopy to shelter those crossing.The Munilla Construction Management company and FIGG Bridge Engineers partnered to design and build the bridge. According to FIU’s website, FIGG designed Boston’s Leonard P. Zakim Bridge and Florida’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge.”The MCM family’s thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy,” the Miami-based company said in a statment. “MCM is a family business and we are all devastated and doing everything we can to assist. We will conduct a full investigation to determine exactly what went wrong and will cooperate with investigators on scene in every way.”“We are stunned by today’s tragic collapse of a pedestrian bridge that was under construction over Southwest Eighth Street in Miami,” said a statement from FIGG. Our deepest sympathies are with all those affected by this accident. In our 40-year history, nothing like this has ever happened before.”The school is currently on spring break and classes are not in session. Drivers are advised to avoid the area on Southwest 8th Street between SW 107th Avenue and the Turnpike — while traffic is being rerouted to Flagler Street and Coral Way. The exit to SW 8th Street remains closed.The annual Youth Fair, scheduled to start Thursday at the fairgrounds located on the campus of FIU, opened at 3 p.m. with officials advising anyone attending to enter via Bird Road.Check back for more details on this developing story.Photo Credit: Wilfredo Lee/AP This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Source: NBC San Diego