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Atlanta Footbridge Collapse Kills 1

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 19, 2008 1:22 PM CST

(Newser) – An elevated walkway under construction at Atlanta’s Botanical Garden collapsed today, killing a worker and injuring 18, the Journal-Constitution reports. Workers were pouring concrete for the 40-foot-high footbridge when the collapse set off a scene one EMT described as "sheer chaos." Those nearby described a “loud thud” that “lasted for about 15 seconds,” followed 10 minutes later by sirens.

"It sounded like when they are doing construction on a building and they throw garbage off the top," one witness said. "It was like they were dumping huge material off a building and it echoed in a dumpster."

[Images (4)]

[Videos (1)]

[Quotes (1)]

An unidentified construction worker sits on a wall near where a walkway under construction collapsed. (AP Photo)

A police officer walks past a pedestrian walkway that collapsed while under construction at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. (AP Photo)

The Atlanta Botanical Garden. (Flickr)

A visit to the Atlanta Botanical Garden. (Flickr)

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Video from the scene of the collapse in Atlanta. (CNN Video)

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Our present concerns are for those injured and their families. Our hearts go out to the family of the person killed. - Bill Pinto, president, Hardin Construction

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