All Accounted for After Bridge Collapse
26 injured, taken to hospital
By MARCO STENDARDO and BJ LUTZ
Updated 1:19 PM CST, Tue, Jul 28, 2009
An Independence Day fireworks display in Merrillville, Ind., took a turn for the worse as a wooden bridge collapsed, injuring 26 people.
Firefighters, medics, and police were already in the park for the fireworks celebration when the 90-foot suspension bridge, used by people to travel across Hidden Lake, collapsed around 10:15 Saturday.
Emergency personnel immediately dove into the water to rescue people. About 50 people fell into the water.
Twenty-six people were injured, with sixteen taken by ambulance. Injuries ranged from cuts to broken bones.
There are no reports of anyone missing.
The size of the crowd at Hidden Lark Park at the time was estimated at 10,000 people.
It's unknown whether the bridge has had any type of routine inspections for structural stability, but a preliminary investigation shows the cause of the collapse to be "structural failure of the footbridge,'' Merrillville Police Chief Joe Petruch said in a press release.
Post-Tribune Photo Gallery: Merrillville Bridge Collapse | Chicago Tribune Video from Scene
First Published: Jul 5, 2009 7:52 AM CST
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