One man is dead after a pedestrian bridge fell onto a freeway in Detroit early Friday morning. Local station WXYZ reports though the investigation isn't finalized, officials believe the man was driving a waste truck that caused the bridge to fall when the flatbed was left in the upright position.
The driver of the truck was taken to Sinai-Grace Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Detroit News quotes one local who said she was "glad [the accident] wasn't during school hours" because children use the pedestrian bridge before school.
According to Detroit Free Press, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Transportation was "adamant the bridge did not collapse" but was instead "pulled down onto the freeway." The bridge reportedly received a "fair to good" rating as of a May inspection.
Because the bridge received such a rating, the spokesperson was pointing out it did not collapse due to structural issues. It was, instead, pulled down onto the freeway by the truck's flatbed.
That bit of information, however, doesn't seem to be getting through to the media. A quick scroll of the headlines shows the word "collapse" is the overwhelming choice.
And some media outlets have turned attention away from the accident, instead pointing out Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was among those stuck in traffic along the freeway. Though to be fair, these outlets are sports-focused.
Officials say they will begin to demolish the pedestrian bridge Friday morning.
This video includes an image from Getty Images.
