Cypress Freeway Collapse

[antdez1]

there is still a freeway like this in San Francisco the 280 east of the 101 :\

[1skunkus]

@antdez1 You are so right, hope it dont go next.

[BellaDonna49]

About 6 seconds into this video is my Father in-law's car burning, that's all the smoke you see. His car exploded and he was killed. There was nothing left except a few teeth and some bones. I will never ever forget this day as long as I live. We didn't find him until 8 days later. Try living through that Hell.

My mother in-law sued the State of CA. for being at fault and won. She deserved everything she got.

[BellaDonna49]

About 6 seconds into this video is my Father in-law's car burning, that's all the smoke you see. His car exploded and he was killed. There was nothing left except a few teeth and some bones. I will never ever forget this day as long as I live. We didn't find him until 8 days later. Try living through that Hell.

My mother in-law sued the State of CA. for being at fault and won. She deserved everything she got.

[BellaDonna49]

About 6 seconds into this video is my Father in-law's car burning, that's all the smoke you see. His car exploded and he was killed. There was nothing left except a few teeth and some bones. I will never ever forget this day as long as I live. We didn't find him until 8 days later. Try living through that Hell.

[BellaDonna49]

About 6 seconds into this video is my Father in-law's car. His car exploded and he was killed. There was nothing left except a few teeth and some bones. I will never ever forget this day as long as I live. We didn't find him until 8 days later. Try living through that Hell.

[amyisindallas]

My mom used to take me on this when I was a baby.

[Syrophrenikan]

i was 8 years old and about 50 feet away from that freeway when it collapsed. i was looking right at it and the support columns cracked for about 2 seconds then exploded with concrete dust, obscuring everything. i moved away and after the dust cleared i could see that the top section had fallen and crushed all of the cars.

[simpsonmillia]

Why do they say this is Berkeley when it is West Oakland?

[hobbitandwife]

I know she didn't know what she was seeing, but that must have sounded awful to the viewers.

[king242424loloololol]

Chuck norris........

[gungasdindin]

This announcer is talking like her souffle has collapsed in her oven. What an idiot.

"OH I hope no one was hurt."

I hope she was FIRED.

[dj99surf]

I remember Anna Chavez was so nervous, Cheryl Jennings had to motion to her to sit down during the post quake broadcast.

[Momoftwinsplus1]

How was it a bigger problem? 35 people died on the cypress freeway. So it more lives, it caused more damage, and it was a VERY big problem to those who were trapped under it for hours and hours. Check out Webbers Falls OK, the 35W bridge overshadows it, but it was also a VERY big deal in the way of collapses.

[eartopsy]

No, it's the "Nimitz" Freeway (I-880/Old SR-17)which runs on the "Cypress" structure.

[livemannsf]

Actually, technically the Nimitz Fwy is part of the Eastshore Freeway, but the southern section was renamed to the Nimitz. I've also seen the Cypress portion on 880 specifically called out ass the Cypress Fwy. Then again I've also seen it called part of the Nimitz.

[BowlerGuy900]

i like how she says i hope no one was injured in that... shes looking at the top of one freeway collapsed on top of another.

[mbhfromla]

yep...Anna is still around..she left tv years ago.

[sky1beam]

I heard that Anna Chavez left California during the Pete Wilson Memorial an ABC7

[dingding3109]

Is that Cheryl Jennings in this clip and also Is Anna Chavez still alive as of 2007

[rustyrelic]

Thanks for the comments, I have updated the video info.

[tidycat4]

Plus, from your description: "The power went out everyware right after the Great Quake of 89. This clip is just after the power started up again at channel 7" It makes it sound like the power was out since 1989 and it just got up and running...until this happened!

[angelbugsf]

It's "Cypress" Freeway.

[manhizzy]

Nobody called it the "Cypress" Freeway until this happened. It was part of the Nimitz Freeway; this particular section ran down the traffic island of Cypress Street with southbound traffic on top and northbound traffic on the bottom, because (so they said) there was no room to put a one level freeway carrying both directions. Of course, after the earthquake, they were able to find room.

[thelema418]

@manhizzy No. I lived there - we always called it the Cypress. In fact, I remember taking field trips as a kid along it. Some of the rooftops of industrial places had white rocks put on top to spell "Tear Down the Cypress" People knew it posed a threat before it collapsed.

[manhizzy]

@thelema418 I didn't live in the neighborhood so I didn't hear the term "Cypress Freeway" until years after the earthquake. I would hear about the "Cypress section" which is obviously the same thing, but when everything happened they kept talking about the death toll on the "Nimitz" or the "Nimitz Freeway collapse. That's what I get for relying on 20 year-old memories from when I was 10 years old. I stand corrected.

[manhizzy]

You're also right about people knowing it was a threat before the fact. I read a blog from a guy who was a tow truck driver in the early 80s and he said he would get nervous whenever he would get a call to go to the Cypress. He also said his work buddies would tease him because during the summer they would use the structure for shade while they ate lunch, and he refused to sit under it.

[thelema418]

@manhizzy I lived there - we always called it the Cypress. In fact, I remember taking field trips as a kid along it. Some of the rooftops of industrial places had white rocks put on top to spell "Tear Down the Cypress" People knew it posed a threat before it collapsed.