Cameras catch collapse of Fla. parking garage

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WHDH) -- There were no serious injuries after the old parking garage for the Broward courthouse complex suddenly collapsed.

Construction crews working on the demolition of the old Broward County Courthouse, at 201 SE 6th St., all of a sudden have found themselves with an easier demolition process after the old structure collapsed Wednesday, just after 4 p.m. There were no cars or people inside. However, two people were injured.

"I was standing there watching a part of the parking structure being collapsed," said Nancy Wiener. "And as that part broke down, the rest of the parking structure just fell. That's when I thought something must be wrong."

A large dust cloud rose from the ruin as the four-story garage came crashing down. Two people in the area were knocked down and suffered minor injuries. They were transported to the hospital.

"First thing that came to mind was 9/11, but then I knew it wasn't a terrorist attack; they just did the wrong thing," said Gerald Short, a bystander.

"I know it was supposed to happen, but I didn't know that they were gonna do it today. I mean, look at the street and all of this stuff," said another bystander, Victor Suarez. "All these cars. These people are crazy."

The structure was being torn down to build the new courthouse, but that process was not supposed to occur for another few weeks. Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the garage to collapse. Officials said structural engineers are examining nearby buildings as a precaution.

Geoff Bunnell, V.P. of James Cummings Contractors, said, because of the collapse, their work will be a lot easier and quicker. "They anticipated some collapse of portion of the garage, so they were prepared for at least a partial collapse of the building. We are investigating what went wrong."

All the construction workers have been accounted for, according to fire rescue.