Brand New Pedestrian Bridge Collapses Across SW 8th St at SW 109th Ave Near Florida International University

First responders search for rubble survivors of catastrophic accident near Florida International University in Miami, Florida.

Miami-Dade police and firefighter/paramedics responded about 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15, 2018 to a report of a bridge collapse on SW 8th Street (Tamiami Trail/US 41) just west of SW 109 Avenue. Firefighters initially found eight trapped victims in eight vehicles. Miami-Dade Division Chief Paul Esptopian reported that eight people were transported away from the scene. The last patient was transported away from the scene about 3:00 p.m. ET.

Two of the eight initial patients were extricated by firefighters. At least one witness reported seeing CPR administered before firefighter paramedics arrived. That witness also reported seeing a person, possibly a young boy — pleading for help under bridge.

Another witness reported the bridge fell without warning. One girl escaped from the front of a vehicle that was crushed at the rear half.

A 950-ton span bridge collapse suddenly while motorists were stopped for a traffic light on Tamiami Trail, also known as SW 8th Street. A row of the stopped vehicles in the eastbound lanes of SW 8th Street with drivers waiting for the red light to change was hit by the collapsed pedestrian bridge.

Florida High Patrol confirmed multiple deaths occurred at the scene; however, Miami-Dade Police spokesman Juan J. Perez would not confirm whether there were any deaths.

Over 100 trained Technical Rescue Team (TRT) and Urban Search and Rescue team personnel were reported to be on the scene. At least four cranes and four crane operators were also on the scene.

News helicopters were asked to back away so that rescuers could listen for survivors and other important audio factors underneath the collapse pedestrian bridge. Search dogs were also seen going into the collapse debris.

The main focus of incident operations at 4:33 p.m continued to be the rescue of people.

The bridge was lifted in place on Saturday morning, March 10, 2018, and did not yet have stairs or ramps in place, so there was no public pedestrian access. Fox News reported Thursday afternoon that there was a stress test being conducted at the time of the collapse. Several videos showing the movement of the bridge into place, and the final setting of the bridge, which were posted by the Sweetwater Police Department Public Information Officer (PIO), have been removed.

Sweetwater Mayor Orlando Lopez told reporters that Miami-Dade Police Sgt. Dolan worked for 15 minutes to save the life of a victim of the FIU Bridge collapse.

Sweetwater is a city in Dade County, Florida, with the city limits at the disaster scene and the city to the north of the disaster scene and Florida International University, which is directly south of the disaster scene.

Tamiami Trail (US 41/SW 8th St) was closed between SW 117th Avenue and SW 107th Avenue.

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