The Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh collapsed on 28 January 2022 at roughly 6:40 a.m. eastern standard time. It happened just prior to Joe Biden showing up in Pittsburgh to talk about infrastructure. Go figure.
The details: 10 injured in Pittsburgh bridge collapse just before Biden’s visit on infrastructure.
Ten people were hurt in the collapse, with rescuers forming a human chain to get to them.
At least four people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries following the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge just before 7 a.m., the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The bridge, part of Forbes Ave., traverses Fern Hollow Creek in Frick Park. The collapse also led to a large gas leak.
The area around the bridge had to be evacuated. It took the gas company about 30 minutes to shut off gas to the line that ruptured.
There are no shortages of articles on the collapse. The initial reports. The fact that since it happened so early, there were no fatalities. The lawsuits. Yes, those are already in the works. Pete Buttigieg making pronouncements. Biden promising to fix 'every bridge.' Et cetera, ad nauseam.
One story did catch my eye... The impact of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse goes far beyond the disruption to a heavily traveled route.
The bridge was a respite. I took a mental health day after the Tree of Life shooting and walked through Frick Park, shadowed under the wings of the bridge just blocks away from the shooting. Although the bridge provided solace, I looked up to see its beams bending precariously.
Here is a hint: If you see a bridge, and you notice deformation, report it to someone. Keep reporting it until they take you seriously. Take a couple of photos with your phone so they cannot blow you off as being alarmist. Bridges often DEFORM before the fail. "Beams bending precariously" constitute a WARNING SIGN. At the very least, the bridge could have been closed, and no one would have been injured.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released something that they call a "preliminary report." It basically says "A bridge collapsed; we are looking into it." Though it takes 2 pages of government-speak to say that. They do provide some interesting video footage.
This is the video of NTSB B-Roll: Pittsburgh, PA Bridge Collapse (1/30/2022). There are some good views of the aftermath.
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