Wow, it’s still hard to believe we had a bridge collapse in Minneapolis. I didn’t ride around that area very often, but it’s a huge bridge and a main traffic artery - 120,000 cars every day, apparently. My last trip was actually under the bridge, riding my bike home from a dinner out with friends a couple of weeks ago.
I heard about it between hospital stops unrelated to this. Fiona had a very odd vasovagal-style reaction to a playground injury yesterday (hit her hip on a park bench), and we ran her over to the ER for an ECG test, which turned out fine. She has had similar but much less intense reactions twice before to having splinters - she would get panicky and almost unconsolably upset, pale and a little shocky. The last time was a splinter in her foot, and after about 10 minutes of that she put herself to bed and slept for an hour. She had also been holding her breath for the first minute or so after the injury, and the ER doc said that it’s just a reaction that some kids have to pain or trauma, and some kids will turn blue and pass out (she didn’t). Something to keep an eye on though.
I heard only bits and pieces of the bridge story until i could get to the TV around 10, after the kids were asleep. The news stories were good, though predictably repetitive. Here’s the Strib story on it, hope it doesn’t disappear into the archives too soon. Note that as of last night, it had increased to 7 dead, more injured and some 20 missing, according to the late TV news. More WCCO coverage.
Excellent photo set and commentary here from someone who probably lives in the same apartment building i lived in for one summer while at university. Also, a Flickr page with a great ‘before’ picture of the bridge, and the wikipedia entry, which is naturally evolving as the story unfolds.
I just heard that the brother of a co-worker died on the bridge.
Thank you to everyone who was nearby to pitch in to help. Thank you to all the bloggers for the first-hand coverage and photos.
