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The I-35W Bridge Collapse: A Survivor's Account of America's Crumbling Infrastructure
“A bridge shouldn’t just fall down,” Senator Amy Klobuchar said after the August 1, 2007, collapse of the Minneapolis I-35W eight-lane steel truss bridge, which killed 13 motorists, injured 145, and left a collective wound on the city’s psyche and infrastructure.
On her way to a soccer game with a fellow teammate, Kimberly J. Brown experienced the collapse firsthand, falling 114 feet in her teammate’s car to the Mississippi River. Although terrified, injured, and in shock, she survived. In this sobering memoir and exposé, Brown recounts her harrowing experience.
In the aftermath of the disaster, Brown became both an advocate for survivors and an unofficial whistle-blower about decaying infrastructure. She details her investigation and correspondence with Thornton Tomasetti engineers, including the false official account of the collapse and the eventual revelation of its real causes. In addition, she chronicles the ongoing decay of America’s bridges and the continuing challenges faced by leaders to address infrastructure problems across the country.
After nearly a decade of research into the collapse and her active and ongoing recovery from psychic and physical injuries, Brown shares her experience and answers the questions we should all be asking: Why did this bridge collapse? And what could have been done to prevent this tragedy?
On her way to a soccer game with a fellow teammate, Kimberly J. Brown experienced the collapse firsthand, falling 114 feet in her teammate’s car to the Mississippi River. Although terrified, injured, and in shock, she survived. In this sobering memoir and exposé, Brown recounts her harrowing experience.
In the aftermath of the disaster, Brown became both an advocate for survivors and an unofficial whistle-blower about decaying infrastructure. She details her investigation and correspondence with Thornton Tomasetti engineers, including the false official account of the collapse and the eventual revelation of its real causes. In addition, she chronicles the ongoing decay of America’s bridges and the continuing challenges faced by leaders to address infrastructure problems across the country.
After nearly a decade of research into the collapse and her active and ongoing recovery from psychic and physical injuries, Brown shares her experience and answers the questions we should all be asking: Why did this bridge collapse? And what could have been done to prevent this tragedy?
- GenresMemoir
258 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2018
4 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 2, 2019
Bridges shouldn’t fall.
But on August 7, 2007 the bridge on I-35W over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. It was rush hour and a traffic jam, and all those cars on the bridge fell into the river. 145 people were injured – and 13 people were killed.
The author – Kimberly Brown – was a passenger in a car on the bridge when it collapsed. Their car fell a hundred feet, but was prevented from falling into the river because it landed on part of the fallen bridge. Both Kimberly and the driver were able to climb out of the car and to safety. Kimberly had no obvious injuries (except being covered in glass shards). And in the weeks, months and years to come, spinal damage became apparent, and Kimberly also developed PTSD from the trauma of the fall. Not only could she not cross bridges, but she couldn’t go into parking ramps, airplanes, or elevators without issues. Per Kimberly, the PTSD was sometimes worse than the physical damage to her body.
In her pursuit towards healing, Kimberly took multiple steps and pursued multiple therapies (including some more unusual therapies like cupping and EMDR). She started attending meetings with other survivors. And she started doing research into the bridge and why it fell. She put her notes from the research into a letter and sent it to every Minnesota state senator and congressperson. In effect, she became an advocate and spokesperson for the survivors.
So what did Kimberly find out? Well, she found out that multiple annual inspections had found problems with the bridge. The same issues (such as missing bolts and rotated bearing blocks) were noted year after year after year. One or more gusset plates that held up the trusses were bending. But none of this was repaired. The federal law says that the bridges have to be inspected - but they don't have to be repaired.
The findings of the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) were that the cause of the bridge collapse was faulty design. The gusset plates were insufficiently designed. But Kimberly's research makes a good case for lack of maintenance being part of the cause also. Forensic firms hired by lawyers representing the victims came to the same conclusion.
I'll end this review with this excerpt from the book, which I don't think I will ever forget:
Thirteen fracture critical bridge inspections traced the decay of the 35W Bridge – from 1994 to 2006.
Thirteen years of broken bolts.
Thirteen seconds for the bridge to fall.
Thirteen killed.
“Remember the Thirteen.”
But on August 7, 2007 the bridge on I-35W over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. It was rush hour and a traffic jam, and all those cars on the bridge fell into the river. 145 people were injured – and 13 people were killed.
The author – Kimberly Brown – was a passenger in a car on the bridge when it collapsed. Their car fell a hundred feet, but was prevented from falling into the river because it landed on part of the fallen bridge. Both Kimberly and the driver were able to climb out of the car and to safety. Kimberly had no obvious injuries (except being covered in glass shards). And in the weeks, months and years to come, spinal damage became apparent, and Kimberly also developed PTSD from the trauma of the fall. Not only could she not cross bridges, but she couldn’t go into parking ramps, airplanes, or elevators without issues. Per Kimberly, the PTSD was sometimes worse than the physical damage to her body.
In her pursuit towards healing, Kimberly took multiple steps and pursued multiple therapies (including some more unusual therapies like cupping and EMDR). She started attending meetings with other survivors. And she started doing research into the bridge and why it fell. She put her notes from the research into a letter and sent it to every Minnesota state senator and congressperson. In effect, she became an advocate and spokesperson for the survivors.
So what did Kimberly find out? Well, she found out that multiple annual inspections had found problems with the bridge. The same issues (such as missing bolts and rotated bearing blocks) were noted year after year after year. One or more gusset plates that held up the trusses were bending. But none of this was repaired. The federal law says that the bridges have to be inspected - but they don't have to be repaired.
The findings of the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) were that the cause of the bridge collapse was faulty design. The gusset plates were insufficiently designed. But Kimberly's research makes a good case for lack of maintenance being part of the cause also. Forensic firms hired by lawyers representing the victims came to the same conclusion.
I'll end this review with this excerpt from the book, which I don't think I will ever forget:
Thirteen fracture critical bridge inspections traced the decay of the 35W Bridge – from 1994 to 2006.
Thirteen years of broken bolts.
Thirteen seconds for the bridge to fall.
Thirteen killed.
“Remember the Thirteen.”
February 20, 2020
This book was really hard for me to read, as I think it should be. She gives voice to what people with PTSD feel so clearly, I often found myself needing to put down the book as I was becoming too anxious. The book details bridge maintenance and lack thereof to a point of tedium at times, but that's what I signed up for reading a book thoroughly and painstakingly written about a bridge collapse. I will say though, since finishing this book, I take notice every single time I cross a bridge, and feel a bit nervous. Could it happen again? I don't know, but I have no doubt that the author's
dedicated work to ensure proper maintenance of bridges actually did move those in government to improve our safety, so we all have her to thank for that.
dedicated work to ensure proper maintenance of bridges actually did move those in government to improve our safety, so we all have her to thank for that.
August 2, 2025
This memoir is remarkable for how close you feel as a reader to Kimberly throughout. She does a remarkable job of making it seem as though you're right there with her. That makes it pretty difficult, emotionally to read, as so much of the book is about the trauma she experienced in the aftermath of the bridge collapse.
I already knew our bridges are in bad shape, but I'm still pretty new to the Twin Cities area and didn't know any of the history about this specific event, nor have I ever really thought about how horrible surviving an event like this would be. I'm glad this author found her voice!
I already knew our bridges are in bad shape, but I'm still pretty new to the Twin Cities area and didn't know any of the history about this specific event, nor have I ever really thought about how horrible surviving an event like this would be. I'm glad this author found her voice!
April 15, 2019
This is one of those books that leaves you a bit more uncomfortable after reading it. It's one thing to hear that our country's infrastructure is decaying but it it really hits home when you read an account from someone who has to deal with the consequences. This story has piqued my interest to the point I am checking online for information regarding our bridges.
August 22, 2023
Excellent telling of one survivor’s horrific experience and the post-incident advocacy.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews