Jul 29, 2008 11:16 pm US/Central
1 Year Later: Voices Of The Bridge Collapse
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
At 6:05 p.m. on August 1, 2007, the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River. Thirteen people died, scores of others were hurt and a community responded.
To mark this first anniversary of one of the greatest disasters in Minnesota history the survivors, the families of those who lost their lives and the people who responded to this tragedy are sharing their stories.
Survivor Jean Forster:
"I saw what looked like ripples ahead of me in the pavement. I thought, oh, road construction."
Survivor Lindsay Petterson:
"I got to about the middle, and I heard the sound of a clank."
Survivor Andy Gannon:
"Heard a loud boom."
Forster:
"It was just this whoomp--whoomp--whoomp."
Survivor Brianna Coulter:
"Felt like we were on a rollercoaster."
Survivor Andy Gannon:
"We were actually moving sideways, and that's when I thought it was an earthquake."
Survivor Lindsay Petterson:
"And the second that I heard that I knew that something bad was about to happen."
Gannon:
"The north end, which I was heading towards, buckled up."
Petterson:
"The ground kind of opened up."
Forster:
"Then I started to fall."
Survivor Kimberly Brown:
"I closed my eyes, and I was screaming."
Petterson:
"I was freefalling, and I didn't know what would happen when I landed."
Gannon:
"My life flashed before me."
Farther back, Gary Babineau watched. His turn was coming.
Rescuer Gary Babineau:
"I knew exactly what was goin' on. I thought I was going to die for sure…I had a baby coming in two weeks, due in two weeks, I was just prayin' that I wasn't, that I was gonna be able to meet him."
Petterson was trapped underwater. After mentally saying goodbyes to loved ones, she felt a floating feeling.
Petterson:
"I realized that I was getting closer to the surface of the water and that I wasn't dead, I was alive."
911 Caller:
"The bridge collapsed."
911 Dispatcher Robyn Semmons:
"Where at?"
911 Caller:
"In downtown Minneapolis. It's people are all over the place."
Semmons:
"She's like the whole bridge collapsed, and I'm just wondering is it the Hennepin Bridge, the 3rd Avenue bridge, what bridge is it? It just never crossed my mind that it would be 35W."
Minneapolis Fire Captain Mike Dahlberg:
"This call came in. We didn't hear anything about a drill or anything, but it came in for a bridge collapse. I'm thinking, I said, 'Guys this is a drill, there's no way a bridge collapsed.'"
Before Dahlberg reached the river, he heard another dispatch on the radio.
Dahlberg:
"Our duty deputy got on the radio and said it's 35W both sides. And then I'm like OK, this is no longer a drill."
Thirteen people died, including Pat Holmes -- his car was crushed by a highway sign. His wife Jennifer Holmes heard about the collapse while golfing.
Jennifer Holmes:
"I actually started crying and I said to the other people that…'You must think I'm just crazy assuming this,' but I just have this really bad feeling…I felt he had gone down in the bridge, I just, I felt it."
It was a night of lost life... and new life.
Dr. Steve Sterner:
"She actually was the first patient that I cared for."
At Hennepin County Medical Center, Dr. Steve Sterner ordered a C-section for a pregnant woman, critically injured when the bridge fell.
Sterner: "We have two patients to take care of when we have a pregnant patient…Quite honestly it was done very quickly and saved the baby's life."
WCCO-TV Reporter Jason DeRusha: "All I could do was describe what I was seeing, and it was a horrible thing to see, it was horrible."
DeRusha during coverage on August 1, 2007: "Just one of what I'm sure will be many, many stories of heroism under the worst circumstances."
The bridge collapse was one of the worst things to happen in Minnesota, but it brought out the best in our community.
Dahlberg: "The civilians were just awesome, and I wish I could thank each and every one of them…They weren't screaming or hollering… They just jumped right in like this was something they do all the time."
For the people who were on the bridge that night and for those who love them, it's been a hard year.
Petterson: "Some days, I'm doing great but other days, it's hard to get out of bed."
A year of suffering,
Bus Driver Kim Dahl: "I'm in pain everyday."
A year of healing, Survivor Karge Olsen: "I've had six surgeries to date, probably have two to three more to go."
…Of coming to terms with what happened, as best they can.
Jennifer Holmes: "I know with time, things get a little bit easier, you figure things out, and certain things might get easier. But I will never get past the part that he's not here with me."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Bridge Collapse Retrospective
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