Bush Inspects Bridge Collapse

(NEWSER) - A four-lane bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed during the evening rush, killing at least 6 people and injuring dozens. Witnesses say there were up to 100 cars on the bridge at the time, and as many as 50 were hurled into the river and onto the banks; rescuers rushed to triage victims and put out massive fires. More»

Victims eligible for $400K apiece

(NEWSER) - Minnesota will establish two funds totaling $38 million to compensate victims of the Minneapolis bridge collapse that killed 13 people last summer, the Star Tribune reports. One pool allows victims up to $400,000 each; the other provides those "extraordinarily impacted" by the collapse with extra funds for medical bills and other needs. In exchange, victims will waive their right to sue the city or state. More»

(NEWSER) - The body of a 2-year-old girl is among those recovered from the wreckage of the I35W bridge in Minneapolis; the toddler's mother has not yet been found, CNN reports. Remains located by divers in the Mississippi today bring the total number of casualties in the Aug. 1 collapse to at least nine. More»

Same metal plates are used by hundreds of other bridges

(NEWSER) - Federal experts investigating the Minneapolis bridge disaster have identified a structural flaw that may have led to the collapse, reports the New York Times. Investigators suspect that steel gusset plates used to connect the girders weren't strong enough to support the bridge right from the start. Federal authorities immediately warned states to be careful to calculate added weight when assigning construction crews to work on bridges. More»

Investigators examine site, computer models in quest to explain structural failure

(NEWSER) - State and private experts are investigating the wreckage of the I-35W bridge in search of a structural explanation for Wednesday's collapse, and sophisticated computer modeling is testing stress points. Time looks at bridges, seemingly indestructible structures that carry enormous volumes of traffic and can succumb to anything from corrosion to a faulty component the size of a pin. More»