Was the bridge collapse in Minnesota over-mourned and over-publicized?

Question

it was a horrible event, i know that, but only about 5 people died in the thing, and there were moments of silence all over the place, people considering cancelling things in the memory of those people,

put this in perspective, i know it was a slow news period but forget Iraqi War death tolls, 5 new american deaths occur every 65 seconds these days in general, where are their moments of silence? i wouldnt bring this up if i didnt just think maybe people were just so upset their commute would be ruined.

and all those bridge scares immediately after, so frustrating how we all react so late to everything then once something tragic happens we act so illogically, as if that one bridge will set off some sort of domino effect on the rest of the bridges in this country... I hope i didnt seriously offend anyone I just had to clear this off

edward - interesting, but again, the twisted logic, the bridges cant sustain our heavy vehicles and huge traffic volume so what do we do as americans? GET STRONGER BRIDGES! umm how about try lighter smaller more fuel efficient cars, and hah maybe even ride a BICYCLE! ... America might be beautiful but shes getting less attractive every day

Answer 1

You really have some good points. One thing you didn't mention though is that were they not already getting the bridge repaired before it collapsed? If they see that it already needed repairs, they should have never opened up the bridge in the first place, but they should have inspected the bridge to make sure that it was actually safe to re-open.

I mean, people are already paying taxes to get roads fixed, but there are many roads that are still horrible to drive on through out the states. Even in my state, the highways are so horrible that it takes someone to get into an accident for them to finally do something. So if bridges have a long history of wear and tear, then they should inspect them every year.

Yes, it was terrible that this happened. But, this shouldn't have happened if the right procedures were done. My heart goes out to the victims family. Also I thank the men and women who are still searching for the victims.

I think that all 'old bridges' should be inspected through out the U.S., we don't want another bridge to collapse once again.

Answer 2

The latest evaluation is that the structure had a design flaw.
It was never meant to sustain the weight of today's traffic and trucks.
In addition, the weight of construction/repair machinery was more than it could carry.
The news has alerted, once again, the need to re-examine all the bridges in US, which may be the same.
I don't know about you, but
I do not relish falling into the rivers, or Gulf of Mexico. There is a long span over the Houston Ship Channel, among others elsewhere. Some are high enough to permit huge freighters and oil tankers to pass under.

Answer 3

A qualified "yes" to both – it was , indeed, a tragedy, but it should have been reported, updated when information became available, and not repeatedly mentioned as it was. A good parallel example is Barry Bonds' 755th (and 756th) home run – that damned story was broadcast non-stop on every major sports network (and even some "news" networks) on about a 2-1/2 minute repeat cycle. Okay, news media, we get it! The bridge collapsed. He hit the ball. If that's all you have to fill up your airtime, you might want to reconsider the whole 24-hour news thing.

Answer 4

The death toll so far is eight people. A diver just brought up the two-year old today. For some people the mourning just started and for others who relatives have yet to be found the mourning has yet to start. For the people actually involved, the answer is no.

Answer 5

This is that time of the year where the media bites a news story in the neck and doesn't let go until it's dead. August is particularly ripe for this kind of juvenile behaviour.

Answer 6

I completely agree with you.

I know it was terrible but for about a week straight, that is all that was on the new, and I live in WISCONSIN, not Minnesota.

I do have sympathy for the families who lost loved ones but it was over-mediaized.

Answer 7

I agree with everything you wrote. I think we built some good bridges in Iraq though

Answer 8

Both ,that bridge should have been replaced several years ago.

Answer 9

no