Bridge Collapse

[Aspirin99]

I suppose you've seen this on the news by now. I was actually only about 6 miles (or about 10 km) away from it, heading toward it in bumper to bumper traffic when it happened. We knew something was wrong when ambulance after ambulance started screaming past followed by lots of emergency vehicles and cops. Then, police vehicles pulling boats started passing us. That's when we knew something very,very awful had happened.

It interesting. Today, a large group of people gathered to pray. You know, I "get" wanting to show concern, but do you really need to pray for survivors to be rescued? If there were a God, and He was good, would humans, in their puny intellect, really need to push God into doing the right thing?

Also, the guy on the news speaking to one of the survivors- He said, "Someone was really looking out for you today." I thinking, WTF? How does that make the families feel who have loved ones in the hospital or still trapped under the bridge?

Of course, the theist will say that God has a plan and all things work together for the good, blah, blah, blah. They've had 2000 years to come up with catch phrases.

Or, how about this? Things are as they appear - random. Crap happens to everyone without respect to much of anything. A poorly maintained bridge falls, and if you're on it, you're probably going down. If you're in a better supported spot, you don't.

[Kumbafu]

Also, the guy on the news speaking to one of the survivors- He said, "Someone was really looking out for you today." I thinking, WTF? How does that make the families feel who have loved ones in the hospital or still trapped under the bridge?

Or if the loved ones had died in the accident.

And what would the believers say if the one who was "looked out for" was a stern atheist and one who died was a devout [insert religion here]?

[stan2reason]

It was a real tragedy--heartbreaking. I'm glad you're okay Aspirin.
S2R

[David]

That's so scary that you were so close. I often wonder how often someone online doesn't return or post, not because they lost interest, but because they died! I would have missed you Aspirin; and never known why you didn't return!

Happy you're safe and sound.

[David]

I heard a nasty rumor that Insurance companies are calling it an "Act of God" and not paying for damage to vehicles...

This seems like a BS answer to me. Setting aside the whole, "But, God doesn't even exist to act", the bridge collapsed because some dumb-ass didn't do what was needed to keep it standing. This is a human-created issue; not natural.

Shame on the insurance companies if they are actually going to stick to their decision to not cover losses.

Also, can someone confirm that this rumor is actually TRUE? If it isn't true, I will remove this and repost the basic (Act of God) in a new thread.

[Aspirin99]

I haven't heard that but it wouldn't surprise me.

[gulfcoastkid]

I want to add that I'm glad you're alright. When I lived and worked in the Twin Cities, I crossed that bridge almost daily and it's incomprehensible that something like that could happen. It's just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.