35W bridge: Witnessing a disaster
On this date four years ago, I was among the first to arrive at the scene of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis.
I was walking along the Mississippi River with a friend when we heard a muffled “whump.” From our vantage point on the Stone Arch Bridge, we could see only a cloud of dust.
Then a man came running toward us yelling, “the bridge is gone.” None of us could grasp what had happened as we ran down Old Main Street, parallel to the river.
The dust had just begun to settle when we reached the collapsed bridge. It was eerily quiet. As I stood at the edge of the ravine and surveyed the crumpled cars below, I thought I was looking at a mass grave. But then people started scrambling out of their cars, one by one.
I didn’t hear anyone scream, nor did I see many signs of panic. (Later, after meeting some of the survivors, I would learn that they were all struggling to understand where they were.)
My friend and I wanted to help, but the bluffs along the river were too steep and far too tall. Some of the people on the bridge comforted each other while help arrived.
A fire broke out in one of the damaged trucks. A team of firefighters extinguished the flames within a few minutes, but they weren’t able to save the truck driver. His name was Paul Eickstadt. He was 51.
I met one of those firefighters a few weeks back. He was still pretty shaken up as he talked about that day.
So today, my thoughts are with the friends and families of the 13 people who died … the 200 survivors who are working to overcome their injuries and fears … and the hundreds of emergency-response personnel who risked their lives that day to save others.
If you haven’t seen it already, I highly recommend the Star Tribune’s Emmy-winning presentation, 13 Seconds in August.
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Filed under: Friends and family, Minnesota, On this day in history, Psychology | 12 Comments
Tags: 35W bridge collapse, 35W bridge minneapolis, Heather Munro bridge collapse, Heather Munro photographer, Heather Munro photography, Heather Munro Star Tribune, postaday2011
Heather – What a great blog post and how sad it was for everyone on that bridge that day. The last thing you could imagine while crossing a bridge is that it would collapse underneath you. My heart and thoughts go out to everyone that had to go through that trama that day, and as well as you, who witnessed it. It is probably something that you will never forget. Just like 9/11, I still remember what I was doing that morning when I saw the second plane hit – you just stand there in shock. Great post & thanks for sharing.
Hello, Nikitaland! Thank you for your very kind, thoughtful comment. Your comparison to 9/11 is apt: It was a surreal experience, and there are some moments that I remember as clearly as if they’d happened this morning. How heartbreaking that the same is true of the people who were on the bridge … I can’t imagine the terror of falling 60 feet into a river. That’s why I make a point of marking this anniversary every year. I don’t want my fellow Minnesotans to forget that this happened — or that the people who were on that bridge are still trying to piece their lives back together.
This is just a horrifying event. I don’t remember hearing about it at the time, but your photos make it horribly vivid. One just has a feeling of ‘there but for the grace of God…’.
I have to mention, I think your photo-journalism is very impressive. Perhaps it might be useful in some way for any survivors to have this record. A friend of mine was in the Twin Towers on 9/11; afterwards, he went through photos and articles about it obsessively, as a means of helping him process the trauma. (And as a postscript, I’m happy to say that since then he has got happily married and has just become a proud dad.)
Hello, DB! I’m very saddened to hear that your friend was in the Twin Towers on that horrible, horrible day — but delighted to hear that he came through it OK. When I happened upon the scene, I debated whether I should take any photos at all, because it seemed voyeuristic or exploitative, somehow. But in hindsight, I’m glad I snapped a few frames, for the very reason you described: A couple of survivors contacted me after the collapse to tell me that my photos had helped them process the accident and make sense of it in their minds. So I guess that must have been my role that day …
Like doesn’t quite seem to be the right button to click for todays post. Today I think you need one saying [APRECIATE]
Like you, I wish there were more buttons: Love, Appreciate, LOL, TMI …
What a thoughtful comment. Thank you.
Your stunning photos document the terrible tragedy. They brought back vivid memories of watching the news stories that day.
John R.
Photoblog — http://thedailygraff.com/
I’ll confess that I’ve never thought much of my own photos; they don’t *begin* to capture what I felt as I surveyed the destruction that afternoon. And—although I’m heartbroken to think that even one person would die that way—I still find it unbelievable that so many people did walk away.
My goodness, Heather, the crumpled up street looks like it was made of paper. Wow, and you were there. What an experience it must have been for you especially when you couldn’t do anything to help. Thanks for the first hand account and your photos. We shouldn’t forget.
Amazing live-news photos then, amazing historic photos now. Thanks for posting, Heather!
Hard to believe it’s been only four years … even harder to believe that so many people already seem to have forgotten. That’s why I’ve already begun working on my five-year-anniversary folo. Details to come over dinner next week.
What a terrible event- your pictures are by far the most gripping that I’ve seen.