WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have released the calls to 911 from the moment a pedestrian bridge under construction collapsed in front of Florida International University, killing six people.
The calls were released by Miami-Dade Police one week after the collapse, Thursday.
Feelings of panic and fear could be heard in the voice of the callers.
“Is this 911? The bridge at the FIU just collapsed on top of a lot of cars,” one woman is heard saying.
“The what just collapsed?” the operator asked.
“The bridge at the FIU [at] 109th [Avenue] and Eighth [Street] in Tamiami. There’s a lot of cars crushed,” the caller responded.
Other callers could be heard voicing their concern and shock at the situation.
One man sounded shaken as he spoke to the operator.
“They just put [the bridge] up, they were working on it, and it collapsed onto the middle of the road,” he said. “We got a big, big deal here, OK?”
“Is anybody hurt?” the operator asked.
“From what I see, it fell on the [inaudible]. It must have hurt somebody,” the man responded.
The City of Sweetwater hosted a prayer service on Thursday.
Attendees participated in a moment of silence for the lives lost and those injured.
“It was one week ago today that we experienced a tragic loss of life,” said City of Sweetwater Police Chief Placido Diaz.
Six people, including FIU student Alexa Duran, were killed when the bridge collapsed on March 15.
She was laid to rest Thursday morning.
A wrongful death lawsuit was filed in Miami on behalf 60-year-old Rolando Fraga’s family, Thursday afternoon.
The lawsuit names FIGG Bridge Engineers, Inc. and Munilla Construction Management, which are the companies that created the pedestrian bridge.
“They put the public in the way of unnecessary harm,” said attorney Christos Lagos. “They should have shut that roadway down.”
The two companies named in the lawsuit have both released statements.
A statement from Munilla Construction Management read in part, “Right now, our focus is working closely with the NTSB investigators to help figure out what caused this accident. Litigation matters are being handled by outside counsel. Our hearts continue to go out to the victims and their families.”
Another statement released by FIGG Bridge Engineers stated, “We are aware that a lawsuit has been announced regarding the pedestrian bridge accident. Our priority focus continues to place sympathies for the victims at the forefront of our thoughts.”
Florida Highway Patrol officials said they plan on opening Southwest Eighth Street back up by Saturday night or Sunday morning.
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