Alexa was identified by her father as one of the six victims killed in Thursday’s fatal pedestrian bridge collapse at Florida International University (FIU). The 18-year-old was driving her friend Richie Humble back from a doctor’s appointment when the bridge collapsed on to her Toyota SUV.
Richie was able to escape the squashed vehicle but could not save his friend, who was crushed under the concrete.
Alexa remained missing this morning but was confirmed as being one of the victims by her father later this afternoon.Speaking in Spanish from London, he told el Nuevo Herald: ‘My little girl was trapped in the car and couldn’t get out. She died when the bridge collapsed on top of her car.’ Mr Duran had been travelling in England when he was told the devastating news.
A friend of Alexa’s told the Miami Herald that Richie, who suffered several injuries to his neck and leg, was able to survive because his side of the car was not as badly crushed as Alexa’s. Richie revealed the moment the bridge collapsed on to them. He told the Today show: ‘We were parked at a red light and I started to hear the bridge creak, so I look up and I saw the bridge falling on top of us.
