area that could not be inspected. The I-35W (Interstate 35 West) bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis opened to traffic in 1967. The structure stood for about 40 years, but on that fateful December day, the bridge collapsed into the Ohio River, taking 31 vehicles with it. He claimed that local TV sets were mysteriously burning themselves out, and that "telephones were going crazy, ringing at all hours of the day and night with no one on the other end." Mothman Sighting Before Minnesota Bridge Collapse 2007. They soon failed, The 2nd eye-bar failed, putting the full load of the It had components that, when they fail, the entire North America is full of unusual monsters, from Bigfoot to the chupacabra. That does not mean they do not exist. (TG25.M6 I2532 2008), National Bridge Inspection Standards Compliance Review Report. However, there's a bit of debate about how many witnesses actually saw the winged thing. This guide pulls together many of those reports and links to materials that record the State of Minnesotas response to the tragic collapse and its efforts to quickly replace that vital link over the Mississippi River. ", Needless to say, all these accounts were a reporter's dream come true. On later and August is the 8th month, so again, 8 + 1 = 9. That being said, the Federal Highway Commission estimates that 11 percent of our countrys 607,000 bridges are structurally deficient. The important thing to remember is that if you or a loved one are injured in a serious accident in a public place, such as a bridge, highway, or street, you should definitely not have to pay for the related costs yourself. if you dare. planets have orbits that are longer than 40 years. On August 1, 2007, the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, fell into the Mississippi River, injuring over 140 people and claiming 13 lives. Thanks for reading my comment!!! St. Paul: Minnesota Dept. contrived. This chronology outlines some of the significant events regarding the I-35W Bridge collapse and the efforts to build a new bridge: August 1, 2007: Shortly after 6 pm, the I-35W Bridge collapses with 111 motor vehicles on it at the time. On November 12, 1966, the Mothman was first sighted flying over a cemetery by five men who were digging a grave late at night. (TG24.M6 T78 2008), Wattson, Peter. read the book mothmans curse, and you'll see what he really is, and what he can and cannot do. Highway Spending: a Program Evaluation Report. video captured by the US Army Corps of Engineers are missing. After the collapse of the Silver Bridge, Mothman disappeared from Point Pleasant and vanished into thin airor did he? Bakst, Brian. You can enjoy some good food, listen to guest speakers, and learn more about the Mothman and the paranormal. It is not intended to be exhaustive. November 29, 2007: Governor Pawlenty and legislators announce the creation of "I-35W Emergency Hardship Relief Fund." In reality, the bridge fell due to a single Keel researched the Mothman phenomenon during the months prior to the disaster and believed supernatural forces were at work in the area of Point Pleasant. Talking with the Toronto Star, a local businesswoman explained that Mothman has "helped the town. Tragedies happen. Still, others think the Mothman is a real animal, such as an owl or other gigantic bird. We only get paid when you do. has mass, and it takes time to accelerate and gain speed. Take the Houston Batman, for instance. It was seen before the silver bridge collapsed. That same evening a man living ninety miles away was roused out of his home by a strange sound. This theory was heightened by the 1975 book The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel. "bang, bang, bang, bang, bang", then the bridge rose up slightly, During the evening rush hour on August 1, 2007, it suddenly collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 145. St. Paul: Office of the Legislative Auditor, 2008[includes 2010 update]. Why didn't they predict the disaster in advance? For days rescue workers pulled smashed cars and bodies from the river. However, some believe Mothman was more than just a mysterious animal. Its interesting to note that the Sandhill Crane is also blamed as the culprit in Jersey Devil sightings. While it might sound ridiculous at first, the best explanation for Mothman involves our fine feathered friends. In an interview, Bridge Collapse Survivor, Charlene Wood said "When I got to the traffic light, here in point pleasant, I got the red light. 62-CV-07-3425), October 31, 2007: Judge rejects restraining order that would halt bridge construction. The avian idea got started as soon as the Mothman appeared, with the local sheriff claiming the creature was a kind of heron known as a shitepoke. Our community can see these ideals lived out in our work to prevent personal injuries from happening. Rather, it is The Singular Fortean Society (Tobias & Emily Wayland) 2016-2020. Victims and their families will be eligible for up to $10,000 in lost wages. Even I-29 would feed a relatively large market It is For example, some claim the creature appeared in Galveston, Texas, around the time of the devastating 1900 hurricane, and others believe Mothman made his way to Chernobyl shortly before the nuclear meltdown of 1986. Some supposedly had visions of Christmas presents floating down the nearby Ohio Riverand then there were the nightmares of people drowning. My uncle was 3 cars back and I believe he said it was trying to tell people not to enter the bridge but people were so scared of it they didn't realize. One would think that if this facility Some 9340 (I-35W Over the Mississippi River). August 23, 2007: MnDOT releases the request for proposal for the new bridge over the Mississippi. government officials stopped quoting numbers. (TG25.M6 H65 2008), Ballarini, Roberto, and Taichiro Okazaki. This happened to Floridas Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 1980, resulting in the loss of 35 lives. : Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security, United States Fire Administration, National Fire Programs Division, 2008. But while the heron and crane are definite suspects, investigator Joe Nickell believes Mothman was actually some sort of owl. There is an Internet story floating around that parts of the security A replacementbridge was designed and constructed on an accelerated schedule and opened on September 18, 2008, not long after the first anniversary of the collapse. She reversed her vehicle as the bridge began folding inward on itself, with her tires stopped on the ledge where it broke off. Was there any Mothman sightings? damage a bridge should have caused far more damage to the people in the But that was not one of your options. Rumors eventually spread that the bridge collapse was connected to the Mothman in some way and that he could have been a warning or a dark premonition. 17th Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems (1984-2006). Ten years ago, the Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis collapsed, sending cars, trucks and even a school bus that were crawling over it in . St. Paul: Minnesota Dept. After all, multiple sightings took place around the McClintic Wildlife Management Area, a region that served as a bird sanctuary. Please note, the "Mothman" (or large bird, Thunderbird) was reported to have been seen on June 27th, over a month before the August 1, 2007, collapse of the I-35W Bridge. remains if this was intentional, or if that is all the data that was other buildings and parking ramps be damaged, not to mention the bridge Forty Six people died, nine were injured and two victims were never found. "There were mutilated dogs, UFO sightings, and other things going on," claimed cryptozoologist Loren Coleman. making it the worst bridge accident in American history at the time. It was one of the worst catastrophes in American history. Or was it something more supernatural? (Draft report). Ironically, this bridge was opened in 1967, the same year as the collapse of the Silver Bridge. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. I think I'm gonna have to do more research into this subject. How did they fix the Silver Bridge? On March 17, 2008, a NTSB update states that excess construction weight was placed above the earlier-reported too-thin gusset plates. he does not make the disasters happen, he just watches. So did the Mothman migrate back to his old hometown? Since I-35W, State Has More Eyes and Sharper Focus on Bridges, 2007 Special Session Fiscal Summary of Disaster Relief, I-35W Bridge Collapse and Repsonse: Minneapolis, Minnesota, Report on Expenditure of I-35W Bridge Special Compensation Appropriations, American Indian Fishing and Hunting Rights, Consolidated Conservation (Con-Con) Lands, Minnesota Minority Child Heritage Protection Act, Minnesota Legislative History - Step by Step, Copper-Nickel Studies and Non-ferrous Mining, Basketball in Minnesota and the Target Center Arena, Football Stadiums in Minnesota and the Vikings, CORE: Minnesota Commission on Reform and Efficiency, Major Appropriation and Finance Bills and Laws, 1995-present, Major Capital Investment and Bonding Bills and Laws, 1963-present, Professional Technical Contracts (P/T Contracts), Northwest Airlines (Delta) and the State of Minnesota. Debris littered the water, the tragedy had happened on the coldest day of the year. River. he has never been known to harm anyone or anything. There is no market Unfortunately for Mothman fans, Gray Barker has something of a spotty track record when it comes to the truth. Well work towards making you whole, even in the event of a (very surprising) Virginia bridge collapse. But none are quite so eerie and disturbing as the Mothman. Or are panic-stricken witnesses simply mistaking oversized birds for beasts? (TG25.M6 B75 2008), Collapse of I-35W Highway Bridge Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 1, 2007. The Silver bridge was later replaced by the "Silver Memorial Bridge", which was completed in 1969. http://www.mothmanlives.com/the-silver-bridge.html. In 2007, it once again accompanied a bridge collapse, with sightings beginning one month before the collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 1. The overloaded bridge collapsed under the weight of the throng, and an estimated 4,000 Portuguese civilians and French legionnaires drowned in the Douro River. events. But what if the Mothman really is, as Keel suggested, a supernatural entity, one that either came to warn of the imminent collapse of the Silver Bridge, was lured here in anticipation of the event, or caused the tragedy itself? Truss Bridges: Trunk Highway Bridges and Local Bridges. I'm sorry Elizabeth, but I think the mothmans curse book is fiction. While the cause was blamed on a failed eye-bar joint and weld, many believe the infamous Mothman had something to do with the collapse. At any rate, The The Barred Owl and Great Horned Owl are two possible suspects. newspapers did not? but keeping it quiet would require preventing a large number of people The Silver Bridge was an eyebar-chainsuspension bridge that spanned the Ohio River and connected Point Pleasant, West Virginia, withGallipolis, Ohio. Odd reports continued for months, claiming to spot the Mothman, UFOs, and other odd phenomena in the Point Pleasant area. Without a doubt, the Mothman legend is one of the most fascinating stories in North American folklore, but once you start digging into the myth, things get a little, ah, complex. I-35W Bridge Collapse / Silver Bridge Collapse Two shots of the collapsed Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant, WV. Something". the pull that Mercury has on Earth is minute, whereas the Sun, which is Emmitsburg, Md. Known as "the TNT area" or "the TNT plant," this facility closed down after World War II. Instead, they went to the police, and when the cops decided to investigate, they supposedly saw something large flying through the air. Some claimed to have spotted the Mothman near the bridge just before it fell into the river. Was the Mothman a kind of Angel of Death, arriving in anticipation of coming doom? That's right. Suit requests that bridge construction be halted. when it failed, a similar twin eye-bar could not hold the weight of that How long will it take to get compensation for my injury? But to the people who have encountered it, there is no question that this monster is real. was still running, and not many years after it was shut down. It wasn't until the couples reached Point Pleasant that the monster disappeared. If the creature came to warn of the disaster it sure did pick an odd way of trying to help. It is a supernatural omen, a harbinger of doom that appears before some catastrophe. beware of this pin. There were 46 fatalities when it collapsed into the icy Ohio Others, meanwhile, pointed to an old-timey curse from a vengeful Indian chief. The busy Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapsed at the peak of rush hour on Wednesday, August 1, 2007. (HE206.2 .L47 2010) This book addresses the I-35 bridge collapse in detail. When Keel returned to Point Pleasant around Thanksgiving 1967, people in the area were having dreams and nightmares about a coming disaster. Many locals blamed the Since there was no obvious cause for the bridge disaster, some fringe groups in society started to invent conspiracy theories to help bolster their secret government or supernatural agendas. If this theory was (Sayer and Phillippi vs Minnesota Department of Transportation; Case No. Either way, the folks of Point Pleasant should probably keep on watching the skies, just in case. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota [? The Bridge collapsed into the water below. has come forward or called the Art Bell show, so I think it is safe to However, just because these particular stories are fiction, that doesn't explain all the other sightings of flying creatures across the US. On December 15, 1967, 46 people died as the bridge that connected Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Gallipolis, Ohio collapsed. K Ky Bautista 9 followers More information Still, if you want to visit the statue, you can find the monument standing proudly in the appropriately named Mothman Park. report is consistent with a structural failure. "Disaster Relief Package Enacted." By 1966, it served as a lovers' lane. (Consultants report prepared by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates.) Finally, there are truck bypasses As it turns out, conclusion is wrong. Or, is it an innocent cosmic bystander, drawn where it is needed by some unknown force? But what was Mothman really? Yes, people saw a mysterious creature shuffling around in the darkness. October 8, 2007: MnDOT awards new bridge contract to Flatiron/Manson. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. And if you commit suicide, and die, then mothman chooses who is going to inhearate the curse next. Some believe Mothman was a supernatural being that somehow inspired vivid nightmares of death and destruction. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2007. That is, with blank frames to keep the sequence of events in the video in proper The other way that you can defeat him for good, is that you can touch HIM. believe that this was a structure that was in trouble. Shortly after 6 pm on August 1, 2007, the Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River near downtown Minneapolis was loaded with rush hour traffic creeping through an ongoing construction project. Whoever caused or contributed to the collapse can be named as a defendant in a civil suit. In addition to all the flying creatures spotted around the US, some claim the actual Mothman has reemerged in recent years, bringing death and destruction in his wake, as per usual. about as far away, has a huge pull on our planet. the past 50 years that has not had an obvious cause. Lets explore this Mothman and the stories surrounding it, and try to determine if it is friend, foe, or just some unknown creature trying to get by in our crazy world. The Interstate 35W bridge disaster in Minneapolis killed 13 and injured 145, when the bridge broke apart during rush hour on Aug. 1, 2007. These findings were released in the Federal Highway Administration's interim report, Adequacy of the U10 and L11 Gusset Plate Designs for the Minnesota Bridge No. Mothman or not, the victims of the tragedy will be remembered. Barker discussed the Point Pleasant cryptid in his 1970 work The Silver Bridge, which connected Mothman to the 1967 tragedy that claimed 46 lives. Must dig deeper. north of Minneapolis, especially north of Duluth. Bigger than a man, with terrible, glowing, red eyes. To find out more about your legal rights and potential payouts, call GibsonSingleton Virginia Injury Attorneys at (804) 413-6777. 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mothman 35w bridge collapse