Surviving the 35W Bridge Collapse

People throughout Minnesota and across the United States remember where they were when they heard about the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge on August 1, 2007. Michele McLane remembers too-she was driving on the bridge as it began falling around her.

For Michele, August 1 began as a day like any other. But as she recounts the moments she will never forget, she thinks of every minute that impacted her evening-like how she worked a little late that day before driving home through Minneapolis on Interstate 35W.

As she drove onto the bridge, she felt a rumble beneath her and noticed a construction worker trying to steady himself. In an interview conducted with Michele, she explained, "The shaking subsided, and for a millisecond there seemed to be calm. Then, the second wave hit, and it was sheer terror. I thought, 'I'm going to fall and hit the water, but it's too far; I won't make it; I won't survive.' With everything inside of me I yelled out, 'God, get me out of here!' God reminded me that my foot was still on the accelerator and I needed to floor it and drive as fast as possible. As I drove up the incline on the north side, I saw only one other car coming up the incline and out with me. Behind us there was nothing. As emergency vehicles arrived, I was in shock and completely hysterical. I called my husband and eventually got out the words, 'I'm OK, the bridge fell and I know people just died.'"

Although Michele escaped physical injury, she was still faced with the emotional trauma. "Being a Christian doesn't necessarily mean you process an event like this differently. I still needed to deal with the effects and go through a healing process, and God is healing me through communicating about it."

Following the collapse, Michele talked regularly with other survivors during a weekly support group, and as she recounted the events to family and friends in the days following the tragedy, she came to realize that it was healing not only for her, but also for those listening to her story. In the months that followed, she shared her story with numerous church and community groups.

The main message Michele shares about her experience is this: "When I was falling I didn't have time to think about questions of faith. I needed to already know who to call out to. You never know when the ground will fall beneath you, and it might not be a bridge; it could be illness or divorce. But when tragedy strikes, you need to have the answers that will save and sustain you."

For those who might not have the answers, Michele encourages them to start asking questions about faith, and ask for specific examples of how Christians know God is real.

Michele's experience has changed her outlook on life in many ways. "I don't believe God saved me just because I called out to Him, because I believe other Christians died on the bridge that day-people who God was ready to bring home to him. But when I called out to God, the fear and terror was taken away. Now I feel that when it is my time to die, it will be a peaceful moment."

A peaceful feeling is not what most people remember about the bridge collapse. In fact, as Michele tried to pull herself together to get home after the collapse, she remembers looking at the southbound traffic stopped prior to the bridge. She noticed people were visibly angry because they weren't going anywhere; they didn't realize yet what they just missed. "Weeks later, I thought about that and realized it's a great picture of how we react to life and how God cares for us. He knows what's out in front of people, and God uses delays and the unexpected to save us from troubles we can't see."

God used this tragedy and others to remind many people of the faith promises noted in scripture. A Bible verse in Second Corinthians chapter six, verse two communicates one of the important truths Michele witnessed firsthand, "For God says, 'At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.' Indeed, the 'right time' is now. Today is the day of salvation."