Tragedy as New Skybridge Collapses During Construction

Here’s the paraphrased version in under 250 words, split into seven paragraphs:

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In March 2018, Florida International University celebrated the installation of a pedestrian bridge in Miami. The 53-meter structure was designed to connect the campus with surrounding neighborhoods, representing progress and safety. But only days later, tragedy struck when the bridge collapsed in mere seconds, crushing cars below. Six lives were lost, and several others were badly injured.

The disaster quickly became more than just an engineering failure. Investigators and experts labeled it “an avoidable tragedy,” pointing to overlooked warnings, flawed choices, and failures in oversight that allowed the collapse to happen.

One central issue was the bridge’s unusual design. Engineers used a concrete truss structure — a method rarely employed in modern construction. Forensic engineer Dr. Sean Brady explained that without redundancy, if even a single component failed, the entire bridge was at risk of collapsing.

This lack of backup strength meant the design left no room for error. Once one critical part weakened, there was no alternative path for the structure to carry its load.

Execution errors added further danger. Construction involved cold joints, where concrete poured at different times must bond correctly. In this case, instructions to “roughen” a joint surface were missing from the drawings.

That oversight passed through peer review unnoticed, making its way into actual construction and leaving the bridge dangerously vulnerable.

Today, a replacement bridge stands in its place. Safer and more reliable, it serves not only as a crossing but also as a lasting reminder of accountability and the cost of ignored warnings.