Paying tribute to the Queen Isabella Causeway collapse 24 years later
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South Padre Island city leaders are remembering the victims of the Queen Isabella Causeway collapse.
Every year the community gathers to pay their respects.
Monday marks the 24th anniversary of the tragic collapse on the Causeway, an event that forever changed this community.
Resident Aarin Hartwell shared her personal story of that night.
For most, the night of September 15, 2001, is remembered in flashes, darkness, silence and a gaping hole in the Queen Isabella Causeway, but for Hartwell, it's something she lived through for months.
"On September 15th, I was joining a group of my friends from South Padre Island in Brownsville for a bonfire at Boca Chica Beach. We did that pretty often back then," Hartwell said.
That night, the mood changed quickly for the 17-year-old and her friends.
"We noticed the causeway lights went out, and it immediately stopped the party," Hartwell said.
It was just days after 9/11, so many feared the worst.
"It definitely crossed our minds that it could be a terrorist attack as well, considering what had happened just four days before," Hartwell said.
With no way back to the Island, Hartwell was stuck, but the loss hit even harder once names were released.
"Yes, unfortunately, I did know a few people that were involved in the Causeway accident. Barry and Chelsea Welch, they were a married couple. They were locals on South Padre Island," Hartwell said.
For Hartwell, the memorial isn't just a tribute, it's a responsibility.
"It definitely was a tragedy that I think most locals will always remember," Hartwell said.
The Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway still stands, but so does the memory of that night. Twenty-four years later, the community continues to honor the eight lives lost during the accident.
A remembrance ceremony was held on Monday in honor of the lives lost. A portion of the Causeway collapsed after it was hit by a barge.
Drivers were on the bridge at the time; eight people died and three others were saved.
"Right after 9/11, we were grieving and then this happens three days later and this happens on September 15 and we were just devastated from both," Port Isabel resident Carmen Rios said.
After the collapse, the Texas Department of Transportation placed fenders on the bridge's foundation to protect it from boats.
A bridge collapse detection system was also installed.
Watch the video above for the full story.
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