(WSVN) - The bridge collapse in Baltimore has become a heartbreaking reminder of some of the deadliest bridge collapses in U.S. history.
Taking a look at the past, it can be seen that several of those deadly collapses occurred right here in South Florida and across the country.
The deadliest of them all happened in Kansas City, Missouri in July 1981 when two walkways in a Hyatt Regency collapsed from the weight of partygoers.
114 people died and over 200 people were injured as a result of that collapse.
The collapse resulted in years of litigation and ultimately construction reform.
Years later, in Alabama, an Amtrak passenger train derailed near Mobile in Sept. 1993, killing 45 people.
A tugboat knocked into the Big Bayou Canot railroad bridge, warping the tracks.
The train was reportedly slightly delayed. Had it not been for those few minutes, the train would’ve safely passed over the bridge.
In Minnesota, a multi-lane river bridge in Minneapolis succumbed to extensive weight and design flaws during an evening rush in Aug. 2007.
The I-35 Mississippi River Bridge was found to have an extremely thin piece of metal that ripped along its side, resulting in the disaster.
Over 100 vehicles fell into the Mississippi River, killing 13 people.
In Saint Petersburg, Florida a firefighter knocked into the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in May 1980. Strong winds drove the ship into a support beam which sent a 1,200-foot section of the bridge into the bay.
35 people died as a result of this collapse, most were onboard a Greyhound bus.
Locally, in March 2018, a pedestrian bridge at Florida International University collapsed at the school’s main campus. The bridge was under construction when it came down and it resulted in the death of six people, including one student.
A replacement bridge is expected to be put up in the next few years.
Overall, the U.S Department of Transportation keeps track of the 146,000 bridges in the U.S highway system in an annual National Bridge Inventory.
At the end of 2022, more than half were considered in “Fair” condition, while less than half were in “Good” condition and 5% of them were described as “Poor” condition.
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