Pittsburgh Bridge Collapse: Port Authority Bus Lifted Out Of Frick Park Ravine
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- In the final hour of daylight Monday, crews pulled a Port Authority bus from the site of Friday's collapse of Fern Hollow Bridge, offering curious onlookers plenty of unforgettable photo ops on their iPhones.
The dramatic scene played out at about 5 p.m., with crowds gathered at the observation site that city officials just opened Monday on the Squirrel Hill side of Frick Park. Once the bus was in the air, it took about 15 minutes to get it on the ground.
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Earlier Monday, a crane lifted the three other vehicles from the collapsed structure amid less fanfare.
The NTSB said it was working to get video from the nine cameras onboard the Port Authority bus before lifting it from the ravine.
Approximately 125 gallons of fuel had to be offloaded from the bus before it was lifted out.
"I had to come see it myself. It's just crazy. I can't imagine what it must have been like for people who were here," said Patrick Bryant at the scene.
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There was speculation that the bus may have needed to be taken out in two parts because it is articulated, meaning it is an accordion-style bus almost twice as long as a regular one. Crews, however, proved otherwise just before sunset Monday.
As for the massive investigation now underway, disaster declarations have been inked, allowing the proper assets to be used to conduct the search for answers.
The disaster declaration will last for the next several days and will allow for federal money to be directed to helping expedite the cleanup and reconstruction process.
Mayor Ed Gainey is calling on City Council to extend the declaration.
According to the city, officials said they will work with the NTSB and support its investigation.
The city is hopeful the NTSB's report can help improve the safety of infrastructure in the area.
Mayor Gainey says he wants to get more funding to help with infrastructure needs to avoid an incident like this from ever happening again.
"We don't wanna see this happen again, so we'll do what's necessary," Gainey said.
The full NTSB investigation is expected to take months.
To aid in information gathering, the NTSB is asking all witnesses to submit any pictures and videos from several days prior to the collapse to witness@ntsb.gov.
One person remains hospitalized for serious but survivable injuries in the collapse.
UPMC released this statement: "UPMC Presbyterian Hospital is treating 1 adult patient related to the bridge collapse in Frick Park. In deference to patient privacy, we will not be releasing any additional information."
Tuesday morning, the bus was towed away from the area.
Workers tell KDKA that the bus will be taken to a garage in the hopes of it being repaired.
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