 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Home > Michelle's Blog > Previous Postings > 8/10/07
 |
Previous Postings |
 |
August 10, 2007:
Fate or God's Will?This is a story from a woman at our company, Lori Campbell. It's from her personal experience of the collapsing bridge in Minneapolis. I thought I would share this with you and then end with a question.
My husband, Ross, and our three kids, Brendan, Leah, Kara, plus myself and my daughter's boyfriend, were in Minneapolis on August 1. We were moving our daughter Kara into her apartment for the school year. We had finished getting her stuff moved in and were heading out to get some household supplies. Kara's friend Ellie gave us directions to go to a Target north of the campus. Her friend Jenny gave us directions to go over the bridge to a south Target.
We got to 35W near the river, and I asked Kara - North or South? She said North. The traffic, as you would expect for rush hour, was fairly heavy so merging onto 35W north from the U of M campus was a force-your-way-in affair, but still moving from both directions. We just needed to go a couple intersections north before exiting but the directions we got did not jibe with what we were seeing for exit signs. We realized right away that we had missed our exit so we took the next exit so we could double back. As we got within about 2 miles of the U of M exit,(by the river) traffic came to a stand-still and then moved at a glacial pace. Emergency vehicles came roaring past us on the left shoulder.
A woman was driving the wrong way on the shoulder of 35W (coming at us), talking on her cell phone as an emergency vehicle passed us on the left. I thought....why didn't the policeman stop her?! (I didn't know the bridge had collapsed!) Now I realize that the woman had been planning to go over the bridge, but couldn't! Shortly after, my daughter's cell phone rang - it was Jenny (the person who told us to go over the bridge - she was panicked - were we okay?!) It was only then that we heard about the bridge. We found out that a quarter mile section of the 35W bridge over the Mississippi had collapsed.
We were directed off the highway but were not allowed to turn left there to get back to campus. We eventually got turned around and were able to cross 35W to get back to campus. As we crossed 35W, we could see where the bridge had collapsed. The pavement appeared to have been lifted as if raised like a drawbridge. It was only later that we realized what we had really seen. It wasn’t that the pavement was raised but that the pavement nearest us had dropped while the pavement farther away was still connected to its supports.
It was surreal to say the least! Smoke was billowing into the air. People were running to the scene to see what was happening. Crowds were beginning to form on overpasses and trails nearby. I could see the far side of the riverbank, where there seemed to be a road resting on the river, only much much lower than where it should be. There was a lot of smoke, sirens, and emergency vehicles towing boats.
We continued with our errands after supper and were impressed with what we saw along the way. Signs closing off exit ramps to 35W were in place. At one point we saw a convoy of about ten police cars with lights flashing heading off to points unknown. Traffic will need to be rerouted for years.
In tragedies like this there are always conflicting emotions: the relief at being unscathed ourselves, the sadness for those who died or were injured or whose loved ones were affected, and the feeling of appreciation for a system, and the people who are part of it, that could provide such a rapid and effective response.
I'm thankful for the dumb luck that took us north, rather than south, or is it fate, or God's will? I don't know, but today, I can tell you that I'm thankful to be alive!