By Gitte Laasby and Christin Nance Lazerus
The Sun-Times
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — About 25 people were sent to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries after the collapse of a pedestrian bridge over Hidden Lake in northwest Indiana on Saturday night, officials said.
Preliminary police investigation shows structural failure caused the bridge to collapse, sending more than 50 people into murky, 6- to 8-feet deep water. Screaming parents and children fell as far as 12 feet into the water along with baby strollers, blankets, purses, cameras and backpacks, officials said.
“Behind us, these kids or people were laughing and stuff because they were starting to rock the bridge,” recalled Denise Hall of Gary. “All of a sudden, it collapsed under us. All these people were all falling down, everybody screaming. . . . I was up to my neck in the water. I managed to get myself up and grab hold of the chicken wire, the metal strips.”
Ross Township Trustee John Rooda said overloading caused the collapse of the bridge south of 61st Avenue and east of Broadway in Merrillville.
“There were far too many people on the bridge. It was overloaded,” he said. “We had uniformed [Merrillville] police officers at both ends. We shoot for 20 people. It can handle up to 40. We’re confident there were twice as many on the bridge.”
The accident happened about 10 p.m., as 10,000 people were leaving the park after watching Ross Township’s annual Fourth of July fireworks display.
Many were making their way across the 90-foot-long wooden pedestrian suspension bridge when 1.5-inch cables carrying the weight snapped.
Chaos and panic ensued. Merrillville police officers, Ross Township volunteer firefighters, lifeguards and bystanders formed human chains and searched the dark waters, rescuing several. Divers from the Lake County Police Department’s aquatics team also searched for missing people.
A helicopter was brought in to provide light. Fifteen ambulances from Prompt Ambulance Service responded to the scene. When rescue operations ended shortly after 1 a.m., all victims were accounted for and no one was reported missing.
“What could have been a much more serious incident fortunately was not,” Rooda said.
He attributed that to rescue workers who responded quickly. So did volunteer Ross Township firefighters who were selling corn nearby but immediately offered help when the bridge collapsed, he said.
Victims were taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Hobart, Methodist Hospitals in Merrillville and St. Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point.
Rooda said the worst injuries involved a man who broke his collarbone and a woman who broke her leg.
Eyewitnesses said up to 350 people may have been on the bridge at the same time.
Rooda said the bridge was inspected by a construction company about a year ago and fixed.
“It was totally redone a year ago. The decking was all replaced. The fencing was improved,” he said.
Firefighters and police continued their investigations Sunday. Several victims also stopped by to search for missing items. The park is owned by the Ross Township trustee’s office.
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