A man was injured after chunks of concrete began raining down from a bridge along Chicago’s lakeshore on Wednesday.
According to Craig Bradley, he was walking his dogs near Navy Pier when bricks began to fall from a bridge on Lower Lake Shore Drive Wednesday afternoon at approximately 4 p.m.
“All of the sudden these bricks fall from the bridge,” Bradley said. “And I’m thinking ‘did someone throw something at me? What’s going on?’”
Bradley says that his arm was hit, but he was counting his blessings after his puppy escaped harm.
“My dog was in the middle of Lake Shore Drive, and his leash was severed,” he said.
He also says that there were children nearby when the bricks came crumbling off the bridge, but they were uninjured as well.
“There was a group of kids behind me, and if they would’ve gotten hit, it would’ve been ballgame over,” he said.
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Other witnesses say they heard the crumbling of the concrete, including a family that was walking toward Navy Pier when the incident occurred.
“All we heard was the crackling of the brick falling,” Angie Showers said.
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“As we walked we saw the cement and stuff falling from the top. It fell down and I saw the dog run off into the street,” Bryana Dority added. “Cars were stopped, everybody was honking, and the next thing you know a man was walking off in shock, looking up and wondering what happened.”
Firefighters and an ambulance were called to the scene, and Bradley says that he was treated for injuries to his arm.
While he managed to avoid serious injury, he says that he hopes it leads to more safety protocols that will help ensure that the city’s infrastructure is safe.
“Somebody’s gotta inspect these bridges,” he said.
The Chicago Department of Transportation was on the scene Wednesday evening surveying the damage, but there is no word on whether there will need to be road closures or additional inspections at this time.
