Photo by Nanobiker
Deep in the news stories about the I-35W bridge tragedy in Minneapolis on Wednesday afternoon are reports about the roles played by several people on bicycles.
For instance, one family felt their car drop several times as the bridge collapsed. It came to rest rear-end down on top of another car. The Star-Tribune reported:
“Someone yelled that we should get out,” said granddaughter Logan Winegar, 18, A passerby on a bicycle helped them climb out.
In another case, a physician rushed to the scene on her bicycle. Again, the Star Tribune:
Dayna Wolfe, who lives near the Stone Arch Bridge, heard the collapse and came out on her bicycle to see what had happened. Wolfe, a physician and physical therapist, said she is certain that many people had been killed or were trapped in their cars. She said the scene was worse than any of the many earthquakes she had survived in California.
The writer at the John Mayer Don't Date No Fat Girl Diet blog reports watching the coverage unfold on TV.
Two and a half hours later they are still searching the river. There were a lot of people, pedestrians, cyclists, neighborhood residents (mostly college kids), etc. that ran to the bridge to pitch in and help people. (there is a pedestrian/bicycle bridge that runs parallel to it.) I've been watching the local news here and they interviewed two college age guys that jumped into the river and were pulling people out.
Nanobiker at flickr.com took some pictures of the fallen bridge Wednesday evening. He says: “I heard about it and flew like the wind on my bicycle, as I thought I could offer assistance.”
Of course bicyclists weren't the only ones rushing to the scene to see if they could help out, but it sounds like the bicycle became a crucial source of transportation for many around the disaster scene.
By the way, the Twin Cities chapter of the American Red Cross is seeking donations of money or blood to help survivors and emergency workers cope with the disaster.
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