Dave and I left our data center at 5:30 and the traffic on I-35 was really bad so we took a different bridge across the Mississippi. At 6:10 the i-35w bridge collapsed.
My cell phone did not work as all cell towers were flooded. I tried to call my wife, J to let her know that I was ok but couldn’t.
Dave has a good friend who is a first responder on the scene. She said there is a lot of people dead. She also told us they need volunteers and food. Dave got 15 pizzas and we are headed down there right now. I just wanted to post this quick to let everyone know we are OK.
UPDATE: Its 2AM and I just got to my hotel. We picked up the pizzas and took them down to the workers. The cops were cool and let us come on through but the salvation army people said we could not give pizza to the workers. It was really fricking stupid. While Dave argued with them I sneaked around the backside and through the police line and got some good photos. I took them really fast so sorry about the quality but you can see them here in the gallery. A policeman came and got me and I told him I was with the guys who brought pizza he was really cool and said, “ok well Media is all pinned way back there but take a few pictures its ok”. I thanked him but just walked back to where Dave and Adam were dropping the pizzas off. I asked them how it went down and Dave said the salvation army guy was a idiot but a red cross person just told him to leave them there and she would make sure it got down to the workers.
Its very sad here in the twin cities. I have a very early flight so I have to be short. Here are some of the pics that I took:
In this first one (sorry its so dark) you can see Dillsmack (in the grey shirt) and Adam carrying down the pizzas Dave bought.
About the author...
Jeremy Schoemaker – who has written 2416 posts on ShoeMoney.com.
Hi I am Jeremy Schoemaker and ShoeMoney.com is my blog. 99% of the post here are done by me but you will see others occasionally make guest posts. This blog is fun to write but for my day job I run several online companies.
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{ 90 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah, I just heard that. Hope everything is well for everyone.
yeah. I almost dropped off a couch to a friend who lives at the universiy. Luckily, I the van I was going to take was being used by my brother so I stayed home this evening.
Glad to hear you’re ok. This is all pretty messed up.
Wow, the bridge collapsed? That is horrible news, I wish the best for everyone and hopefully there won’t be too many deaths.
Yeah it’s horrible. It shocks me how they can work on a bridge without worrying about compromising the structural integrity and people’s lives…
I was about 15 minutes away as well. Glad to hear that you are OK.
I just read the story on CNN and the Minnesota Department of Transportation said that the construction wasn’t structural, it was being redecked (I’m not quite sure what that is). It might still have weakened the bridge or maybe it was something else, from what I have read so far they haven’t released an official cause to the accident.
Wow… that’s brutal. Glad to know you guys are alright. Kudos for helping out as well. If I were nearby, I’d join ya.
That was so unreal to hear about that news tonight. Wa sin the gym when I saw it on one of the tvs… just the other week I was driving on that bridge to Wisconsin to get fireworks… scary. I heard one or two people dead last I checked, and a bunch more injured.
ShoeMoney to the rescue! Didn’t have the superman dollar sign for nothing now…
On a more serious note, glad you’re ok, the pictures on Fox looks pretty serious. These things make you question life doesn’t it?
That is so awful. It reminds me of the bridge out in California some years ago. I’m an ex over-the-road trucker who has been on both those bridges before. I hope that those folks are all right. Glad to hear that you are all right but there were 6 dead as of the last time I heard. I’m so sorry.
That’s insane….. all those poor people.
Glad you are alright. This is an amazing mess, I am glad it is not as bad as it could have been.
I have family in there who drive that bridge every day. Scary shit to think what could have happened to them.
Wow. I don’t live anywhere near there, fortunately! But I would’ve done the same thing (bring food) if I were you.
All they were doing was removing the top layer of concrete that the cars drive on and laying new concrete.
My mom works in the building on the south side of the river at 35 and Washington, basically 100 ft from the bridge. Took over 2 hours to get a hold of her to make sure she was ok, she drives the bridge twice a day. I’m on it several times a week, very surreal.
Holy S*it that’s horrible! mad props for helpin out guys!
Glad to know you’re ok! Thanks 4 the update!
I’m in Oz, but its still pretty scary. I was driving down the freeway on the Brisbane river the other day and it shook slowly, like I was riding a giant bungee. With the road works happening all around at the time, and the its previous closure due to structural problems, I was actually quite worried I would wind up in the river..
Anyway, glad you’re OK, and yeah, I’d be down there with pizzas helping out too.
Luckily, I didn’t go to the office today, I normally drive over that bridge when I do.
Thats terrible. I hope nobody was seriously hurt or injured.
I live in the Twin Cities, and when I heard about this on the radio I was rocked.
My heart goes out to everyone involved.
I still can’t get a hold of my cousin or friend in Minneapolis!
Respect for trying to help out in such a situation
R.I.P for those who wern’t as fortunate
sorry, but that has nothing to do with online marketing! PLEASE STOP THIS OFFTOPIC POSTS!
Jeremy,
Can you increase the brightness on these pictures?
btw,
Glad you’re okay
That is horrible. I hope they rescue effort can save some of the people that fell in the Mississippi River.
How many cars were involved in the accident?
Damn .. thats horrible .. hope everyone is ok! .. btw: glad to here you are ok.
Cnn.com is showing a video of the bridge collapse.
Man, that does look horrific.
Glad that you are ok. I was just telling my daughter the other day how I have a fear of bridges because I always think they may collapse.
Sending prayers to everyone.
Shoe,
Glad to know you and the guys are ok & that you were all able to be a big help to those in need..
I’ve been worried enough about bridges lately – thanks shoe :S – just the other day a “bread-loaf sized chunk” of concrete FELL from one of our bridges… didn’t hit anyone driving through to toronto but imagine taking a 100 pound rock of cement through the windshield at 70 miles an hour…
I left my house at 5:55pm but decided to take a different route to the south metro. It’s just chance I wasn’t caught up in the bad stuff.
Thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved.
Glad to hear you’re alright, it’s a tragedy.
Glad to hear you are alright. I still find it hard to believe that this happened right here in our own backyard.
Glad to hear you’re alright Shoe, 5:30 and 6:10, so little gap, thank God you took the other bridge instead of I-35. Eh, blame the architect?
Wow, that middle one is an incredible pic, Shoe. Props to you and Dillsmack for helping out. I wish more people would have that as their first instinct.
Thoughts and prayers out to everyone touched by this.
Prays go out to all effected by the tragedy. Another reminder that we can’t take life for granite.
Saw this on live tv yesterday as I was passing my a department at work. What a horrible accident, I feel terrible for those involved. Man, props to y’all for going right to the scene and helping out!!
That is amazing, I would love to see something like this without the death toll.
It’s scary man, really scary :-\
I heard that there was some jack hammering going on, maybe that cracked something
Damn Shoe, it seems like so many people I know had a close call like yours. It’s good to hear you’re ok, and kudos for doing what you could to help.
Sorry to hear about the deaths, but good to know you are okay and really did the right thing by helping where you could.
Blessings to all the rest!
Man, what is up with all the bridge collapses lately? There was one out here in California the other day, too. Maybe we should send those engineers to Bridge Building 101 or something…
When I saw the news this morning I was horrified. How terrifying that must have been for the people on the bridge. I have an insane fear of bridges, it doesn’t keep me from using them, but I’m always super paranoid as I’m going across it, and boy when I get stuck in traffic on one, I’m telling you I’m super nervous. I certainly didn’t need a further reason to be nervous. I hope they get to the bottom of how that could have happened and make sure it never happens again.
I’m sure your wife was frantic until she heard from you. How nice of you to make the effort to assist, so many people just talk about it.
Wow, I hope this kind of thing doesn’t become more common. It’s great to hear of someone coming to the rescue, you just get how tragic it is on the TV, and nothing about the people trying to make it right. Much respect. Best wishes and good luck to everyone involved.
You were very lucky to have been delayed. here is video of bridge falling.http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1ab_1186054443
That’s an amazing story. I’m very glad to see you helped out. I watched the news coverage all night last night.
This is a huge tragedy. I am glad to hear that you are alright tho…
If anybody wants to stay up to date with this story check out CNN or Fox News…
Why would you “love” to see something like this? Are you saying that in regard to demolition? That’s a very strange comment to make…
thats good you are alright, it was on the news all day yesterday
“Heres some pizza’s and shoemoney t-shirts!” lol
Nathan, almost no amount of construction on the surface would cause a bridge to collapse. It was simply old, built in 1967, and a single piece of steel was used to go across the river so no piers would impede river navigation.
The bridge was inspected in 2005 and 2006, so who knows what led to it buckling like that. Truly surprising and sad.
I don’t know exactly how the bridge looked, and it’s a sad reality but I hope no one was sleeping under the bridge when it collapsed. RIP for them as well, simply horrible.
This terrible tragedy is truly a wake-up call to the whole country that our Department of Transportation should reevaluate what measures are being taken to ensure the safety of everyone who commutes on a daily basis. The fact that this bridge had passed inspection only a year ago means that there’s truly something wrong with our current system.
I agree, this is terrible.
Shoe, good job on the pictures!
Hey thanks for the tip
Seriously though, it’s crazy when you are headed right for a potential disaster and b/c traffic is bad, you go another way and live to see another day.
they gave the bridge a 50 out of 100 rating meaning replace it, not right away, but in the future.
Hmmm, HS & college wouldn’t let me get away with scoring 50′s.
Damn Shoe, that is a mean thing for you and Dill to do just to get publicity for your next Shoemoney Media Group Venture – Building Bridges for the Future.
I don’t like being under bridges in traffic either. Creeps me out all that concrete and steel over my squashable jeep cherokee.
Glad to hear you’re OK. Sad about those that didn’t make it.
Wow, that has to be unnerving to be so close to that kind of disaster. Glad you’re ok and took the time to help out a little
That was actually caused by an earth quake, and it wasn’t a bridge, it was an elevated highway (or freeway as it’s called in california). I remember the effects that had locally, and I can imagine it is very similar there.
Last night I heard about it (friend from MN texted me saying she was ok) but I had no idea how bad this really was. I would not have expected a bridge that much traveled or large to be the one that collapsed.
50+
what a crazy night.
Fox9 said that someone showed up with 30 pizzas last night for the workers/red cross. What that you?
wow man that is just CRAZY!
I heard about it last night and I remembered you were their.
BTW. The media is going to be pissed when they hear about this. They are going to all like… we should have brouht 15 pizzas to the workers. We could have gotten some better pictures then out hellicopter junk…
Are you serious? Don’t be such a jackass.
Yeah, that’s kind of disturbing, actually.
Its his PERSONAL BLOG. He can post whatever he likes.
Wow, I knew you were in Minneapolis, but I didn’t make the connection. Glad to hear you are ok!
Crazy eh. Well done on handing out the pizzas.
Props for thinking to bring pizza to the responders, very admirable.
Glad you’re all right Shoe. Stuff like this puts things in perspective.
Nice job bringing the pizzas. The whole thing is pretty humbling.
Good shoe, you helped them.
More props for trying to do what you could to help the workers out. No kindness is too small. Kudos mate.
Why were you not allowed to give them the pizzas?
Thats crazy how close you were Shoe!
Luckily, you weren’t at the wrong place at the wrong time..
I saw the amateur videos on Austrian news television… what a terrible accident. Good to hear you’re fine.
Amazing pictures, its amazing that something that big can just crumble like that.
Terrible. It’s all over the news and has been for the past 2 days straight. God bless all the families. My heart goes out to them.
You almost saved. Good Luck to you. and i am feeling bad for the persons who died.