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Engineers blamed for ignoring warning signs before fatal FIU bridge collapse

Southwest 8th Street should have been shut down prior to the collapse, report found

Linda Figg and the FIU bridge collapse (Credit: Getty Images)
Linda Figg and the FIU bridge collapse (Credit: Getty Images)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration found a slew of errors in the design and construction of the Florida International University pedestrian bridge that collapsed in 2018, killing six people.

Among them, Eighth Street should have been shut down, OSHA stated in the report.

Figg Bridge Engineers’ “deficient” design led to structural failure of the bridge, and Figg’s attempt to close the cracks, which triggered the collapse, was a fatal action, according to the report, obtained by the Miami Herald.

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OSHA also places blame on the contractor, Munilla Construction Management, for not using “independent judgment with regard to implementing necessary safety measures” after Figg disregarded concerns over growing cracks on the morning that the 930-ton portion of the bridge fell. It collapsed across Southwest Eighth Street, in front of FIU’s main campus, on March 15, 2018.

MCM said earlier this year that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reorganize, seeking protection from creditors.

Federal investigators also said that FIU and the Florida Department of Transportation should have stepped in the morning of the collapse and had independent experts review Figg’s conclusions. [Miami Herald] — Katherine Kallergis

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