pedestrian bridge collapses during construction

huangyhg

pedestrian bridge collapses during construction
a pedestrian bridge in atlanta collapsed during construction, killing one worker and injuring 18 others.  no indication of what went wrong yet.
i see concrete pumper trucks in one photo - perhaps they were placing concrete and formwork/shoring gave way?

aah...the obvious reason here...  the project was in atlanta, home of the cdc.  obviously a killer virus got loose and infected the computer of the design engineer.

mike mccann
mmc engineering
they were placing concrete but the truck doesn't appear to have anything to do with it. i will not speculate on the exact cause but can guess who (or group) will swing for this one. it will be ugly since several others that lived are critical with brain/spine injuries. the companies involved are "good" companies and you got to feel for the workers that lived through seeing this happen to their coworkers. i've had a superintendent killed on my jobsite before and can relate i suppose. i suspect there will be big, big lawsuits and/or fines on this one...just a hunch. i suspect we are about to see how litigation and special inspections co-exist together. all you architects, engineers, contractors and testing firms out there keep an eye on this one and see what could easily happen to you.
pretty sad thing to hear.  i can't imagine what i would feel like if i were the eor, never mind who's fault it is.