A newly pedestrian bridge under construction collapsed Thursday; just days after crews had dropped an elevated 950-ton span in place on a signature project that was intended to give Florida International University students a safe route across the busy roadway. The massive span — in a sudden, catastrophic failure — crashed down across eight lanes of heavily travelled Tamiami Trail, flattening eight cars.
At least four people have been confirmed dead with several injured, Miami-Dade fire Chief Dave Downey confirmed. At least eight vehicles under massive slabs of concrete and steel with Sweetwater Mayor Orlando Lopez saying “we have a national tragedy on our hands.”
According to the Miami Herald, police fear there could be up to six people dead but have not been able to confirm that figure. Officials from the Kendall Regional Medical Center said the hospital has received 10 patients. Two of these were described as being in an “extremely critical” condition, while the other eight are in a stable condition.
Of those, two were in “extremely critical” condition and the other eight were stable with injuries such as broken bones, bruises and abrasions. Medical staff told local ABC affiliate 10 News there was an “intense fight” to keep those pulled from the rubble alive.
Dr Mark McKenney, the hospital’s director of general surgery said of the two more serious cases, one arrived in cardiac arrest but was revived. The other had a serious brain injury. It’s believed the patient with a head injury was now in a coma — that person and the cardiac arrest patient were listed as “very critical”.
The ages of the all the injured ranged from 20 to 50. A hospital source told 10 News the scene at the hospital was chaotic as patients came in “back to back” Officials on the ground have described desperate scenes as emergency workers drill holes into the debris in the search for survivors.
Dr McKenney said it was the most patients to come in at once they had ever seen. Hospital staff were also waiting in preparation for more victims to be brought in, once they are rescued from the rubble.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Division Chief Paul Estopinan said rescuers are searching the rubble for people who may still be trapped underneath but had no idea know how many they would find.
The Miami Herald reported the collapsed bridge, which connected Florida International University to a student housing area, had only been installed on Saturday and was not yet open.
The bridge was intended to make crossing the busy road safer for students and was not expected to open until 2019. The bridge was funded by an $11.4 million grant from the US Department of Transportation.
According to the university, the bridge is an “engineering feat” and was designed to withstand even the most severe hurricanes. It also said the bridge was supposed to have a durability of 100 years and was constructed entirely of self-cleaning concrete.
