Survivors, witnesses tell of escapes, rescues at bridge collapse. by Annie Baxter, Minnesota Public Radio. August 2, 2007. One St. Paul resident looked out her car window on Wednesday night as the bridge on I-35W collapsed, and she thought she'd never leave the car alive. Two brothers who were in another vehicle say their survival instincts kicked in when their car plunged off the bridge into the water, along with tons of concrete and twisted metal.