Officials Identify Sixth FIU Bridge Victim as Questions about the Tragedy Swirl
Florida authorities have now identified the sixth victim of the FIU bridge collapse tragedy as Brandon Brownfield. Brownfield was reportedly driving home from work on Thursday when the bridge collapsed, reports Local10.com.
The other five deceased victims identified by authorities include:
- Alberto Arias, 53
- Alexa Duran, 18
- Navaro Brown, 37
- Oswald Gonzalez, 57
- Rolando Fraga, 60
The victims include eight people who are still being treated at Kendall Regional Medical Center reports Local10.
As the Miami area continues to grapple with the magnitude of the tragedy, many questions are arising about the circumstances leading to the bridge’s collapse. Among the most salient of these questions are:
- An engineer who works for one of the companies constructing the bridge, FIGG, called the Florida Department of Transportation to report that cracks had been spotted in the bridge. Apparently, the call was not answered, and he left a message. The message was not reviewed until after the bridge’s failure. Why wasn’t the message he left reviewed earlier?
- Why was the bridge cracking just days after construction?
- Are there any measurements, photos, or other documentation relating to the size or extent of the cracks?
- What testing was done on the precast concrete spans before they arrived at the scene?
- Why were engineers conducting a stress test of the bridge during a busy time of day and without first having stopped traffic and blocked off the bridge?
Attorney John H. (Jack) Hickey and his team handle a wide range of cases, including but not limited to cruise ship accidents, admiralty and maritime accident cases, medical malpractice, wrongful death, premises liability, railroad accidents and car accidents. We represent victims from all over the nation, the world and the state of Florida.