Survivor: Minneapolis Bridge Collapse

'I felt this vibration beneath me.'

"I heard rumbling, saw the overhead signs fall, then the semaphores (huge light posts). Surreal ... unnatural ... very frightening. I didn't realize exactly what was happening but knew it was bad. Knew we were in danger. Saw the time, 6:08 p.m., on my dash and thought: "Time of death, 6:08 p.m. I wonder if they'll get that right on my death certificate?"

The words of Anne Nicolai, who was on the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis when it collapsed. She will be online Friday, Aug. 3, at 2 p.m. ET to discuss her personal story of the tragedy and how she survived.

Full Coverage: Recovery Efforts Continue After Bridge Collapse

Nicolai, 45, is a manager in the corporate office of Best Buy and a blogger who covers arts and entertainment for the Twin Cities area.

A transcript follows.

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Washington, D.C.: Thank you for taking time to be on this chat today. Where were you on the bridge and how did you get off in time to avoid the collapse?

Anne Nicolai: You're welcome, thanks, and good to be here. I was 100-150 feet in. Middle 200 feet is over water, and I was not there yet, but saw the ones who fell. I made a U-turn to get back to land.

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Anne Nicolai: Hi, I'm Anne Nicolai and I was on the bridge when it collapsed. Managed to get off the bridge by doing a U-turn. I'll be here for an hour to answer any questions you might have, as far as I am able. Look forward to your questions.

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Harrisburg, Pa.: Thank you for being here. What are you feeling now, and is it difficult to be here answering questions so soon after this disaster? We appreciate your explaning things to us.

Anne Nicolai: You're welcome. Yes, it is difficult to answer but not for the reason you might think. I don't feel particularly traumatized--instead, I feel a sense of relief and also "survivor guilt." I am very, very conscious that others died or are missing. I feel terribly sad for their families.

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Washington, D.C.: You were actually able to drive off the bridge after it collapsed?

Anne Nicolai: Yes, I was able to drive off the bridge because I was not on the part that fell in.

Anne Nicolai: I should add that many drivers did escape by making U-turns. Others abandoned their cars and ran to safety. My thought was, I didn't want to leave my car because it might block others from getting off the bridge. Either way, I'm relieved that so many were able to get out of the situation.

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Alexandria, Va.: After you turned around and got off the bridge, what did you do? You must have been in shock!

Anne Nicolai: My arms and legs were shaking so much that it was hard to keep driving, but I was headed to an event three blocks away at the time, so I just went to the event. It was nice to enter an oasis of calm, where no one knew what had happened and I could just relax for a minute. But I didn't dare sit down--not sure why. I just wanted to stand up.

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Fairfax, Va.: Did you feel like this was the end of the world or something? Did you suspect terrorism?

Anne Nicolai: No, I did not suspect terrorism. In fact, when I first heard a reporter ask Mayor Rybak if that's what it looked like, I felt irritated. These days it seems that's where our minds go first, and it saddens me. I suppose that COULD be the cause, but I really doubt it.

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Arlington, Va.: Was anyone else from the corporate offices of Best Buy involved in the disaster? (I have a friend there and don't know if she's okay or not.) Glad you were able to make it out all right.

Anne Nicolai: Thank you for asking about my colleagues at Best Buy. I am in the Services area (Geek Squad, Mobile, Home Theater Installation, Product Service Plans, etc.) and did receive an email this morning saying that all Services employees are safe and accounted for. Have not received an all-clear for the entire headquarters but I will check while on the forum here, and let you know if there is news.

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Takoma Park, Md.: What was the immediate emergency response like? I mean, before the cameras even got there?

Because, as tragic as this was, looking at the pictures of the bridge I'm really surprised it wasn't a lot worse in terms of loss of human life, and I imagine that the emergency response must have been extremely quick and extremely effective to have gotten so many people off the scene and to safety.

Anne Nicolai: Yes, this is what I keep telling people--I am still marveling at the rapid response. I've lived in the Twin Cities area for 25 years and had no idea we had so many different response teams. Credit to the leadership of those teams and especially to Minneapolis mayor R. T. Rybak and his staff for incredibly swift coordination. It's a blessing to see after witnessing FEMA debacle with Hurricane Katrina. I am so happy to live in Minneapolis....

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Arlington, Va.: I'm interested to know what you heard and saw as the bridge collapsed. I am quite surprised that there does not seem to be much speculation about terrorism. Some people reported hearing blasts right before the bridge collapsed. What was your experience? Did it appears to be an explosion?

Anne Nicolai: My experience is that of being an actor in a silent movie. Strange, but I heard none of the noises people are describing. What I recall are very clear human voices whose instructions I followed. "Turn around," they said. So I did.

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St. Paul, Minn.: Hi Anne -- I live in the Twin Cities and as soon as I heard about the collapse I immediately was terrified thinking about all the people I knew who travel and live in that area and who could possibly have been on it ... I can't imagine what you must have felt being there. What was the first thing you did after you knew you were safe, and who did you call?

Anne Nicolai: What I felt at the time, since it looked like 9/11 all over again (sand-colored plumes of dust and debris obscuring vision, people running, large structures collapsing)--is, "So this is how I'm going to die." I felt rather matter-of-fact about it. In fact, the digital clock on my dash said 6:08 p.m. and I thought, "I wonder if they'll get that right on my death certificate. I wonder if they'll know I died at 6:08 p.m."

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Annapolis, Md.: Did you stay on the cellphone during the whole thing? Who were you talking to? Was that person afraid for you? Did you doubt whether you'd make it off the bridge?

Anne Nicolai: I thought I was not going to make it off the bridge because so many others were also turning around to get off, and I felt a little bit like I was tipping backward (which, looking at the TV images, I guess I was). No, did not stay on the phone. I was talking to a friend from my home town and I said, "The bridge is collapsing. Gotta go," and hung up. He called moments later to make sure I was safe.

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Washington, D.C.: How are the people of the Twin Cities coping after all this?

Anne Nicolai: I think I can speak for everyone, not just in the Twin Cities, when I say there is overwhelming grief mixed with relief for those who might have been on the bridge but weren't. Also mounting anger, of course, over the missed opportunities to fix the bridge proactively, and questions as to why it wasn't fixed.

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College Park, Md.: Did you, for one minute, ever think you weren't going to make it off?

Anne Nicolai: Yes. I saw green grass in the distance, which was the embankment next to the on-ramp, and I thought, "Get to the grass. You'll be safe if you get to the grass."

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Baltimore, Md.: Did you have any friends who were trapped on the bridge or who are missing? What about those missing? Is there still a chance they'll find some of those trapped, alive?

Anne Nicolai: I can't speak to their chances, but there are cars underwater, and under the rubble. I hope for miracles. No one I know, so far.

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Anne Nicolai: Hi, this is Anne. I'm checking with Best Buy public relations to see if we have news of anyone at the company who may have been affected by the bridge collapse. Will post when I get a response.

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Anne Nicolai: Hi, Anne again...good news from Best Buy Corporate PR dept: "To our knowledge, three employees were on the bridge when it collapsed (including one's family, also). Thankfully all are OK."

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Silver Spring, Md.: Are they going to rebuild that bridge? How is the area dealing with this since the collapse?

Anne Nicolai: I certainly hope they'll rebuild because it's one of the most heavily traveled bridges in the state.

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Washington, D.C.: Not to be morbid or anything but before you turned around did you see cars actually falling over the edge and into the water? Was there a lot of noise when it collapsed? I can only imagine how loud tons of concrete and steel falling must sound.

Anne Nicolai: I don't remember hearing anything but human voices as people ran past my car saying, "The bridge is collapsing. Turn around!" I saw cars disappearing from view but did not see them hit the river.

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Oakton, Va.: This has caused a lot of concern that people feel about other bridges in the U.S. Everyone's questioning whether their bridges are safe also. What would you say to this? Will this discourage you from using a bridge when it can be avoided? Are you driving again?

Anne Nicolai: I'm a "get back onto the bicycle" type of person. I am absolutely going to drive, and I have never been concerned about bridges. Now is the best time to use a bridge because you can bet that authorities at every level will be inspecting and repairing them!!!

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Wheaton, Md.: In retrospect, was there ever any local concern about this bridge? About it being overused or old or in disrepair? Anything to suspect that it needed renovation?

Anne Nicolai: Yes, the news reports locally are saying there WAS concern. From what I hear, there were "fatigue details" but not visible cracks. To my knowledge there was no scheduled major repair, or at least that's not being reported.

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Potomac Falls, Va.: Hello, thanks for being with us today.

I am confused by the "official numbers" -- 5 dead and 8-9 missing or unaccounted for. At the same time, they say none of the dead so far were from the submerged cars. The photos seem to have more than 8 or 9 cars in the water, and we have already heard about very crumpled cars where the rescuers were unable to retrieve the persons because of danger to themselves from the instability. It's a blessing if the current numbers are on target, but it seems to not add up.

Anne Nicolai: I know...I am confused, too. No one knows whether the cars that remain beneath the rubble contain bodies or if those people somehow escaped. Given that the bridge fell within seconds, I don't know how they could escape. But miracles happen. Let's hope.

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Rogers, Ark. How lucky was it that there were not the usual eight lanes of trafic doing 70 mph? This could have been much worse. Some times you wonder about the timing. Do you feel some one may be watching out for us all?

Anne Nicolai: Yes, yes, I do feel that we are very blessed and protected. I just don't know how to explain the ones who died.

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Arlington, Va.: Have you driven over any bridges since the collapse? Are you afraid to drive over bridges after what happened?

Anne Nicolai: Yes, I have driven over bridges. You have to get back onto the bike.

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Washington, D.C.: Since so many people use that bridge for commuting, how have people been getting to work for the last couple of days and has the city worked out alternate routes that you can use?

Anne Nicolai: Yes, alternate routes, both city streets and trunk highways, but of course none are as convenient. People are patient, though. Everyone knows why we're doing this. No one complains.

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Arlington, Va.: How has the bridge collapse affected the commuting in the area? I know that if we lost a major bridge in the D.C. area, it would create a complete nightmare. Commuting in this area is really bad as it is.

Anne Nicolai: I work at Best Buy corporate campus, and they let us telecommute anyway, so for the 4,000 people who work there, it shouldn't be a huge issue. I think more and more employers are doing that. But of course there is more congestion, yes.

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Washington, D.C.: Did you feel like you were in a movie or something? Was your adrenaline going? Did your mission to get off that bridge just take over? What would you have done if you couldn't have moved in your car? Would you have gotten out and run?

Anne Nicolai: Yes, that's exactly what I felt like. A silent movie. Huge adrenaline. The way you describe it, it's like you were there with me!

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Anne Nicolai: Hi, Anne Nicolai here, signing off. Thanks, everyone, for your questions, and for your care and concern for the people of Minneapolis-St. Paul. I will be posting a write-up of my experience on my website shortly: www.nadfm.com. Thanks to WashingtonPost.com for hosting the Forum!

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washingtonpost.com: Night and Day With Anne Nicolai

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