Thursday, March 15, 2018

FIU Bridge Collapse: ‘Several’ Dead, 8 Cars Trapped Underneath
March 15, 2018 at 3:43 pm
CBSMIAMI.COM

MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Florida International University’s (FIU) massive new pedestrian bridge collapsed Thursday afternoon killing at least one person.

The 950-ton bridge, located at 109th Ave and 8th Street, came crumbling down onto a number of cars.

Florida Highway Patrol told CBS4 that several people are dead due to the collapse. They also said several cars have been crushed. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez in a phone call from China told CBS4 that at least one person was confirmed dead, six people were taken to the hospital with injuries — including one person in cardiac arrest, and eight cars were trapped underneath the bridge.

An official told CBS4’s Jim DeFede, “At this point, we can’t even tell how many cars are under there. We won’t have a count on bodies for a while. It’s bad. It’s really bad.”

The cars were reportedly stopped at a red light when the pedestrian bridge collapsed.

“There were no warning signs. It looks like it just came down,” the official told DeFede.

A witness, Aura Martinez, spoke with CBS4 said,  “It was such a scary feeling because I saw [the collapse] and I didn’t know what to do,” she told CBS4. “It just literally killed people and so we ran out there and tried to help people we saw. One girl, her car, it was literally a miracle of God because her car was just squished at the back. … It was very traumatizing.”

FIU issued a statement to about the deadly incident, saying,

“We are shocked and saddened about the tragic events unfolding at the FIU-Sweetwater pedestrian bridge. At this time we are still involved in the rescue efforts and gathering information. We are working closely with authorities and first responders on the scene. We will share updates as we have them.” 

Florida Governor Rick Scott will be at FIU this evening to get briefed by law enforcement and school officials. He says he’s spoken with Miami-Dade Police Chief Juan Perez and will stay in contact with law enforcement through the day.

As for traffic in the area, 8th Street is shutdown in both directions. Traffic is being re-routed through 117th Ave and 7th Street.

The company that built the bridge, MCM, also issued a statement saying: “Our family’s thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy. The new UniversityCity Bridge, which was under construction, experienced a catastrophic collapse causing injuries and loss of life. 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.”

The bridge went up on Saturday. It was then lowered into its final position, just west of 109th Avenue that day. The main span was built next to Southwest 8th Street.

The bridge was constructed using an innovative approach to bridge construction – a technique meant to reduce potential risks to workers, commuters and pedestrians and prevented traffic tie-ups in the area.

The positioning of the bridge Saturday was the largest pedestrian bridge move via Self-Propelled Modular Transportation, in U.S. history.

Funding for the $14.2 million bridge, connecting plazas and walkways is part of a $19.4 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Other funding agencies include the Federal Highway Administration, Florida Department of Transportation Local Agency Program, FIU and the City of Sweetwater.

This story is developing. Check back with cbsmiami.com for the latest information. 

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