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| Crack on Florida Bridge Was Discussed in Meeting Hours Before Collapse | Crack on Florida Bridge Was Discussed in Meeting Hours Before Collapse |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| MIAMI — Hours before the collapse of a pedestrian bridge at Florida International University on Thursday, the engineering company for the bridge met with the construction manager and representatives from the university and the Florida Department of Transportation to discuss a crack on the structure, according to a statement from the university released early Saturday. | MIAMI — Hours before the collapse of a pedestrian bridge at Florida International University on Thursday, the engineering company for the bridge met with the construction manager and representatives from the university and the Florida Department of Transportation to discuss a crack on the structure, according to a statement from the university released early Saturday. |
| The engineering company, Figg Bridge Engineers, delivered a technical presentation on the crack, the statement said, and “concluded there were no safety concerns and the crack did not compromise the structural integrity of the bridge.” | The engineering company, Figg Bridge Engineers, delivered a technical presentation on the crack, the statement said, and “concluded there were no safety concerns and the crack did not compromise the structural integrity of the bridge.” |
| The meeting was held two days after Figg’s lead engineer on the project left a voice mail message for the Transportation Department about “some cracking that’s been observed on the north end” of the bridge, according to a statement from the department. The engineer, W. Denney Pate, also said the cracking did not present any safety issues. | The meeting was held two days after Figg’s lead engineer on the project left a voice mail message for the Transportation Department about “some cracking that’s been observed on the north end” of the bridge, according to a statement from the department. The engineer, W. Denney Pate, also said the cracking did not present any safety issues. |
| The Transportation Department said in the statement the message was not heard until Friday, but did not mention that the crack was discussed at the meeting its representative attended the day before. | The Transportation Department said in the statement the message was not heard until Friday, but did not mention that the crack was discussed at the meeting its representative attended the day before. |
| At no point during their communications, the department said, “did Figg or any member of the F.I.U. design-build team ever communicate a life-safety issue.” | At no point during their communications, the department said, “did Figg or any member of the F.I.U. design-build team ever communicate a life-safety issue.” |
| Whether the cracking contributed to the collapse, which killed at least six people in their cars on the eight-lane street below the bridge, remains a key question in the investigation. | Whether the cracking contributed to the collapse, which killed at least six people in their cars on the eight-lane street below the bridge, remains a key question in the investigation. |
| Construction crews were working on a diagonal beam at the north end of the structure at or about the time of the collapse, according to information the National Transportation Safety Board provided to local members of Congress. Workers were tightening cables that ran inside the beam. | |
| Early on Saturday, recovery crews extracted the first two crushed vehicles from under the rubble. | Early on Saturday, recovery crews extracted the first two crushed vehicles from under the rubble. |
| “We’ve discovered three bodies within those two vehicles,” Juan J. Perez, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, said at a news conference on Saturday. “Currently we are working on the removal of two more vehicles.” | “We’ve discovered three bodies within those two vehicles,” Juan J. Perez, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, said at a news conference on Saturday. “Currently we are working on the removal of two more vehicles.” |
| Mr. Perez said he hoped to finish that work in the next 12 hours. | Mr. Perez said he hoped to finish that work in the next 12 hours. |
| “It’s going to be a long process,” he said. | “It’s going to be a long process,” he said. |
| Six vehicles remain trapped under the bridge, with four of them very difficult to extract, Maurice Kemp, deputy mayor of Miami-Dade County, said. | Six vehicles remain trapped under the bridge, with four of them very difficult to extract, Maurice Kemp, deputy mayor of Miami-Dade County, said. |
| Only one of the six victims died at the hospital; the other five remained under the bridge, unreachable until their vehicles could be freed from the debris. | Only one of the six victims died at the hospital; the other five remained under the bridge, unreachable until their vehicles could be freed from the debris. |
| The number of known victims has not changed, Mr. Kemp said. “We anticipated that we would have three victims in those two vehicles,” he said. | The number of known victims has not changed, Mr. Kemp said. “We anticipated that we would have three victims in those two vehicles,” he said. |
| Workers covered the vehicles in black sheeting and towed them to the medical examiner to identify the remains of any victims inside. | Workers covered the vehicles in black sheeting and towed them to the medical examiner to identify the remains of any victims inside. |
| The first vehicle appeared to be a silver Jeep, nearly flattened but still distinguishable by its front grill, according to videos by The Miami Herald and local television news outlets. | The first vehicle appeared to be a silver Jeep, nearly flattened but still distinguishable by its front grill, according to videos by The Miami Herald and local television news outlets. |
| The second vehicle, crumpled almost beyond recognition, appeared to be a dark Chevrolet pickup truck. Cranes lifted the vehicles onto flatbed trucks, which were escorted to the medical examiner by a police motorcade. | The second vehicle, crumpled almost beyond recognition, appeared to be a dark Chevrolet pickup truck. Cranes lifted the vehicles onto flatbed trucks, which were escorted to the medical examiner by a police motorcade. |
| “Please keep all the affected families and victims in your thoughts and prayers as we continue in our recovery efforts,” the Miami-Dade Police Department posted on Twitter shortly after the extraction. | “Please keep all the affected families and victims in your thoughts and prayers as we continue in our recovery efforts,” the Miami-Dade Police Department posted on Twitter shortly after the extraction. |
| The crews placed a white tent with black sheets along three sides to shield the vehicles from view while they were being pulled from under the concrete, according to the Herald video. | The crews placed a white tent with black sheets along three sides to shield the vehicles from view while they were being pulled from under the concrete, according to the Herald video. |
| On the Florida International University campus, Joseph Smitha was walking around in a daze. His niece, Alexa Duran, was presumed dead in her car, which remained under the debris of the bridge a block away. | |
| Mr. Smitha, a 55-year-old auto parts manager, had spent the night in his truck after making the four-hour drive from Palm Harbor, Fla., fitfully mourning Ms. Duran, a freshman at the university. | |
| “Her mom is a wreck,” he said. “I’ll never hear her say, ‘Hi, Uncle Joe,’ again. I know it’s not going to bring my niece back, but how did this happen?” | |
| His anger growing, he took aim at the question of who might have been responsible, citing rumors and news reports about the collapse. “I hear about workers with hands in their pockets after the bridge fell down,” he said. “I hear about stress tests while the traffic was still going. I hear stories that some of these contractors are in bed with the city and the county. I want to find some answers. It’s been very frustrating, trying to find information.” | |
| Mr. Smitha and members of other victims’ families are being given temporary quarters in a university building equipped with cots and snacks, awaiting news that none of them want to hear. | |
| “I still think the kid is going to surface,” he said, referring to his niece. “Maybe she’s at some friend’s house. ‘Hey, you had us scared,’ I’ll say to her. I’d give everything I have to bring her back. It just kills me that this is something that could have been prevented.” |