The memory of the collapse of the pedestrian bridge at Florida International University (FIU) on March 15, 2018, still lingers strongly in Miami.
Despite the time that has passed, the collective trauma continues to influence drivers' behavior: most avoid stopping under the current structure and alert others not to do so either.
The content creator known as Sanzalo shared a video on Instagram filmed while passing through the area where the bridge collapsed in 2018, a tragedy that left six dead.
From his motorcycle, he shows how drivers and motorcyclists wait their turn to move along the road, but none of them stop underneath the structure.
Only one vehicle remains parked for a few seconds, which sparks a comment filled with laughter and caution.
“Look how no one parks under the bridge; people are terrified of the bridge… There's only one person acting foolishly. Don’t park under the bridge; it brings bad luck in Miami. Praise the Lord!” he says while filming.
Then he insists to his followers: "Not even for a moment should you stay down there."
A fear that many do not overcome
The reactions to the post confirm that this fear is not isolated. Several users described the collapse as an event that cannot be erased.
"The most traumatic day in our history. Too much pain. We still experience it when talking about that moment," wrote someone.
Another user stated that the habit of not stopping under the structure "will last 100 years" continues, followed by testimonies from people who also did not experience the tragedy directly but express the same fear: "I hadn't even arrived in the United States by that time and I feel the same way."
Some recounted personal experiences that are difficult to forget.
A woman reported that she walked underneath the bridge four minutes before its collapse and admitted that she now avoids stopping under any similar structure: "I get honked at a lot and it terrifies me."
Another person added that whenever they drive through that area, they say a prayer for the victims.
There were those who believed that the only car parked under the bridge in the video was unaware of what had happened: "The one down there doesn't know what happened" or "That's a newcomer," they joked, mixing humor with caution.
A wound that won't heal
The accident was associated with design errors, inadequate review, and structural failures, with conclusions later confirmed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The emotional mark of tragedy remains.
A user recalled that he was close to the scene and questioned that, just like back then, "they are still building the bridge without closing the street," insisting that if the area had been closed in 2018, lives would not have been lost.
The deaths, the testimonies of those who were seconds away from losing their lives, and the enduring image of cars crushed under tons of concrete keep alive an urban trauma that has now become part of Miami's traffic culture.
Today, more than superstition, drivers seem to avoid being under the bridge as an act of fear and memory.
Because, although the structure was replaced and traffic continues, the fear has not been rebuilt.
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