Trending

Victims of the FIU pedestrian bridge collapse: What we know

The victims of the Florida International University bridge collapse range in age from 18 to 60.

They include a father of three, a teenager aspiring for a career in political science and Cuban owners of a party business.

Their lives all came to an abrupt end on the afternoon of March 15 when a pedestrian bridge at FIU fell, trapping vehicles underneath and injuring numerous lives.

Here’s the latest of what we know about them:

Brandon Brownfield

He was a husband, father and a tower crane technician for Maxim Crane Works.

He moved to South Florida a few years ago with his wife, Chelsea, and recently purchased a home in Homestead, according to the Miami Herald.

“After ten years of knowing and loving Brandon, 3 years and 11 months of marriage, and 3 beautiful girls; our love runs deep, and has been strengthened by our faith. I keep trying to find the words to share with you - our friends and family - but nothing feels right,” Chelsea wrote on Facebook.

He was from Waynseboro, Virginia, and studied at Brevard Community College, according to his Facebook page.

He leaves behind his wife and three daughters.

Rolando Fraga 

Rolando Fraga was a 60-year-old systems technician and truck driver who lived near FIU. He was from a town south of Havana, Cuba.

He died when the bridge collapsed on his Jeep Cherokee, according to the Miami Herald.

The day before, on the morning of March 14, he posted the following message to Facebook: “Nothing is forever. Coffee gets cold, people leave, time passes and people change.”

Osvaldo Gonzalez

Co-owner of Classic Design Party Rental business, Osvaldo Gonzalez, 57, died when the bridge collapsed on a white van he was in with Alberto Arias.

He came to South Florida from Cuba during the 1980 Mariel boatlift, according to the Miami Herald.

Alberto Arias

Alberto Arias, 53, was the other owner of Classic Design Party Rental. He studied at Miami Dade College and previously lived in Havana, Cuba.

"He went out of his way to help anybody. He was a business owner and he just took a lot of pride in his work and family," Ismael Segovia, his cousin, told NBC 6.

Navarro Brown

Navarro Brown, 37, was an employee with Structural Technologies VSL. He was from Jamaica.

 

Appelonia Brown, his cousin, told the Miami Herald that he was a “hard-working, humble youth.”

Alexa Duran

The 18-year-old Florida International University student was a political science major and previously attended Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches and Country Club Middle School in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, according to her Facebook profile.

"She is the funniest person I know," Manny Perez told the Miami Herald.

Alexa Duran died when the bridge fell on top of her gray Toyota SUV.

Guest books for the victims can be found at Legacy.com.