MIAMI (WSVN) - It was a heartfelt ceremony of remembering the lives of the six victims who died that tragic Thursday in 2018. The family of an FIU student who passed away was there to honor her memory and make sure a tragedy like this doesn’t happen again.
Loved ones released pink balloons and wore shirts in memory of Florida International University student Alexa Duran on another sad anniversary of her death.
It’s been four years since the tragic bridge collapse at FIU. The pedestrian bridge was under construction when it fell onto Tamiami Trail, which took the lives of six people, including Duran’s.
On the anniversary of the collapse, the memory of the victims continues on.
“We are here to remember my daughter and the five other victims of the tragedy. We are here to honor their memory and to make sure that this does not happen again,” said Alexa’s father, Orlando Duran.
Duran was a freshman at FIU studying political science and had dreams of attending law school and becoming an attorney.
Her family said Tuesday marked a bittersweet moment.
“I’m very sad but we have to remember her. She was a beautiful, beautiful girl,” said Alexa’s aunt, Emerita Dorio.
Now, a bronze memorial of her resides at FIU, standing in front of flying doves. The statue is surrounded by five pillars, which represent the other victims of the collapse. As well as a plaque commemorating their lives.
Duran’s mother said the memorial shows her daughter is still here with them.
“She’s not gone. She’s here. The other five persons who died. It’s going to be symbolized her life in here and the other five people that died,” said Alexa’s mother, Gina Duran.
“This is where she perished at, and I think it’s great that they’re gonna have a statue here at the school, a statue so that the family can always come here and not remember the day what happened but just remember the fact that they remember her when she was living,” said Alexa’s uncle, Danny Dorio.
Since the collapse, a new bridge is set to be built in the same location, overseen by the Florida Department of Transportation. Construction is expected to begin in 2023.
Duran’s father hopes more care will be taken to ensure another tragedy doesn’t happen.
“Should there be another bridge, we want that bridge to have the safety considerations. We want the streets to be closed while the bridge is putting in place,” said Duran.
An investigation blamed the 2018 bridge designers for not catching safety flaws, which led to the collapse.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.