Giles County bridge collapse investigation update

Several people are recovering tonight after a bridge in Giles County collapsed on Sunday afternoon.

According to Sgt. Michael Conroy with Virginia State Police, ten people were on the bridge off Patterson Ford Road when it gave out.

Nine of them were taken to the hospital.
   
Luckily, no one was seriously hurt.

V-DOT has closed the bridge and officials say they’re working to get to the bottom of what happened.

Spokesperson Heidi Coy isn’t sure how long the investigation will take.

She says there are very few swinging pedestrian bridges, like the one that collapsed, left in the area.

They’re inspected every two years, which is the standard for any bridge in Virginia.

The one that collapsed was last inspected in May 2007 and found to be in good condition.
   
Coy says V-DOT will examine that report, as well as other factors, to find out what happened.

She also says the bridge that collapsed has no person or weight limit.