A memorial ceremony was held on Tuesday marking the 19th anniversary of the Queen Isabella Causeway collapse.

In the dark of night, not knowing what had happened to the bridge, eight people died when their cars fell more than 80 feet into the water below.

Three people survived.

The bridge connecting Port Isabel to South Padre Island is the start of happy memories for hundreds of thousands of people each year.

But on Sept. 15th, 2001, it was a nightmare no one expected.

Woken up at 3 am, then SPI Police Chief Roberto Rodriguez rushed out the door to assess the scene after four barges crashed into one of the causeways support columns, leaving a gap of about 240 feet in the roadway.

Gustavo Morales' son, Gustavo, Jr. was one of the motorists who couldn't see the gap in the middle of the night.

After plunging 85 feet into the Laguna Madre, he expected his son to at least have a broken bone.

Gustavo Jr. usually in attendance moved to Austin since last years ceremony, but his father says the miracle he witnessed will bring him back every year.

Watch the video for the full story.