Rescuers remove vehicles flattened after a Miami bridge collapse

Rescue workers have begun to free the vehicles that were trapped under the collapsed concrete bridge at Florida International University. 

Shortly before dawn on Saturday, two crushed vehicles were removed by using massive inflatable straps just before 7 a.m. 

The first vehicle, a crushed Jeep Grand Cherokee, was pulled out just after 6am.

Almost an hour later a second vehicle was pulled out as crews used spotlights to help them with the operation. 

The remains of one of eight cars was pulled out from the bridge’s twisted concrete and steel 

The remains of this car are barely reconcilable with just the wheels and chassis remaining

The remains of this car are barely reconcilable with just the wheels and chassis remaining

About an hour later, under the glare of spotlights from above, a second vehicle emerged, almost entirely flattened having been crushed by the 950-ton bridge.

A crane then lowered the flattened vehicle onto a tow truck for a slow, respectful ride to the county medical examiner’s office, according to the Miami Herald.

The body of the car was no longer recognizable with just the wheels toe car about the only thing familiar with the vehicle.  

The cars are just two of eight vehicles that were crushed beneath it.

The retrieval of the vehicles was done very respectfully under spotlights in the early hours

The retrieval of the vehicles was done very respectfully under spotlights in the early hours

An engineer called the Florida Department of Transportation to report concerns about a crack on their new 'instant' bridge two days before it collapsed

An engineer called the Florida Department of Transportation to report concerns about a crack on their new ‘instant’ bridge two days before it collapsed

Crushed cars are shown under a section of a collapsed pedestrian bridge near Florida International University in the Miami area

Crushed cars are shown under a section of a collapsed pedestrian bridge near Florida International University in the Miami area

The   bridge was under construction and collapsed onto a Miami highway on Thursday crushing vehicles beneath massive slabs of concrete and steel, killing and injuring several people

The bridge was under construction and collapsed onto a Miami highway on Thursday crushing vehicles beneath massive slabs of concrete and steel, killing and injuring several people

The crushed Chevy van seen above belongs to Structural Technologies, a national company that offers engineering services

The crushed Chevy van seen above belongs to Structural Technologies, a national company that offers engineering services

Rescue workers have spent two days trying to break down and remove the concrete to get to the vehicles in order to positively identify the victims and finalize the death count.   

Meanwhile, it has emerged that an engineer left a voicemail two days before the catastrophic bridge failure to say some cracking had been found at one end of the concrete span, but the voicemail wasn’t picked up until after the collapse. 

The voicemail left on a landline wasn’t heard by a state DOT employee until Friday because the employee was out of the office on an assignment.

In a transcript released Friday night, Denney Pate with FIGG Bridge Group says the cracking would need repairs ‘but from a safety perspective we don’t see that there’s any issue there so we’re not concerned about it from that perspective.’

The bridge collapsed Thursday, killing at least six people. Authorities are slowly removing the debris, looking for more victims.

Workers use a front loader to clear debris from a section of a collapsed pedestrian bridge

Workers use a front loader to clear debris from a section of a collapsed pedestrian bridge

At a news conference Friday night, officials from the National Transportation Safety Board said they have just begun their investigation, and cannot yet say whether any cracking contributed to the collapse. 

They also said workers were trying to strengthen a diagonal member on the pedestrian bridge at Florida International University when it collapsed.

Robert Accetta, the investigator-in-charge for the NTSB, said crews were applying post-tensioning force, but investigators aren’t sure if that’s what caused the bridge to fall.

In a news release late Friday, FIGG Bridge Engineers said it ‘continues to work diligently’ to determine the cause of the collapse, and is examining the steps its team has taken. 

It added, ‘The evaluation was based on the best available information at that time and indicated that there were no safety issues.’ It also asked for time to accurately determine what led to the accident.

Bridge worker Navaro Brown, 37

Alexa Duran, an 18-year-old FIU freshman, was identified by her father Friday a one of the six victims of Thursday's fatal pedestrian bridge collapse in Miami

Named: Alexa Duran, an 18-year-old FIU freshman (right), and bridge worker Navaro Brown, 37,  (left) are among the six victims of Thursday’s fatal pedestrian bridge collapse

FIU's pedestrian bridge was on schedule to open to foot traffic in 2019. It was installed last Saturday even though it had no central support tower or stay cables in place

FIU’s pedestrian bridge was on schedule to open to foot traffic in 2019. It was installed last Saturday even though it had no central support tower or stay cables in place

A college student who narrowly escaped from a car that got smashed in the collapse said he watched helplessly as the structure tumbled down atop the vehicle and killed his friend Alexa Duran, who was sitting next to him in the driver’s seat.

Richie Humble, who studies at FIU, was riding in a car under the pedestrian bridge when he heard a long creaking noise coming from the structure that spanned a busy Miami-area highway. It sounded different from anything he had ever heard before.

‘I looked up, and in an instant, the bridge was collapsing on us completely. It was too quick to do anything about it,’ Humble said Friday in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

Once Humble realized he was alive, he also realized that he could not get to Duran. He called to her but got no response. A group of men outside the car started yelling at him to try crawling through the rear window.

Crushed cars are shown under a section of a collapsed pedestrian bridge, Friday, March 16, 2018 near Florida International University in the Miami area. The new pedestrian bridge that was under construction collapsed onto a busy Miami highway Thursday afternoon, crushing vehicles beneath massive slabs of concrete and steel, killing and injuring several people, authorities said. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Crushed cars are shown under a section of a collapsed pedestrian bridge, Friday, March 16, 2018 near Florida International University in the Miami area. The new pedestrian bridge that was under construction collapsed onto a busy Miami highway Thursday afternoon, crushing vehicles beneath massive slabs of concrete and steel, killing and injuring several people, authorities said. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

He couldn’t squeeze through because the window was crushed. The men outside grabbed a wooden plank and pried open the rear door to pull him free, he said.

‘I was trying to get people to realize my friend was still in there,’ he said.

He suffered cuts to his leg from glass and a slight fracture to a vertebra, but he was able to walk away from the scene.

Workers stand by a section of a collapsed pedestrian bridge as they work out what to do next 

Workers stand by a section of a collapsed pedestrian bridge as they work out what to do next 

While families waited for word on their loved ones, investigators sought to understand why the 950-ton bridge gave way during construction. The cables supporting the span were being tightened following a ‘stress test’ when it collapsed, authorities said.

The Florida DOT said in its Friday release that it had not been notified of any stress test.

Detectives declared the rubble a homicide scene.

Scheduled to open in 2019, the bridge would have provided safe passage over a canal and six lanes of traffic and created a showpiece architectural feature connecting the campus of FIU with the community of Sweetwater, where many students live.

The $14.2 million project was supposed to take advantage of a faster, cheaper and safer method of bridge-building promoted by the university.

Authorities have not confirmed the victims’ names. Duran’s family has said she died. The fatalities included a student at FIU. One person died at a hospital. Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez said five bodies were located with the help of cameras but had not yet been retrieved.

A worker uses a saw next to a crushed car as the twisted wreckage of rubble and steel is removed 

A worker uses a saw next to a crushed car as the twisted wreckage of rubble and steel is removed 

In a Facebook post, Chelsea Brownfield said she was awaiting any information about her husband, Brandon. According to a Go Fund Me page set up for the family, Brandon Brownfield was driving home from work when the collapse happened.

‘The outpouring of love we have received is incredible,’ Chelsea Brownfield wrote. The post ended with the hashtag ‘praying for a miracle.’

Brownfield declined to comment in a message to The Associated Press.

Jorge and Carol Fraga feared their relative’s car was trapped beneath the bridge. Jorge’s 60-year-old uncle, Rolando Fraga, lives in the area and frequently takes the nearby turnpike to work, but no one has heard from him since midday Thursday.

‘The waiting is so … I don’t have words for that,’ Carol Fraga said through tears.

The bridge was put in place March 10, five days before the collapse.

When finished, the span would have been supported from above, with a tall, off-center tower and cables attached to the walkway. That tower had not yet been installed, and it was unclear what builders were using as temporary supports.



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk