MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The father and sister of Alexa Duran confirmed the 18-year-old was killed Thursday in the pedestrian bridge collapse.
Orlando Duran told el Nuevo Herald Friday that Alexa was the Florida International University student previously acknowledged by rescue officials after the collapse.
Orlando Duran said he was in London when he got the news about his daughter and is currently traveling back to Miami.
"My little girl was trapped in the car and couldn't get out. She died when the bridge collapsed on top of her car," Duran said in Spanish. "This is going to be the longest and saddest trip of my life. I don't want to return."
Duran's sister, Dina, used Instagram to express her grief over losing a sibling.
"Rest In Peace my sweet little sister. Words cannot describe how heavy my heart is." Dina Duran wrote. "I would give anything to take your place and all of your pain. I will cherish every memory we've made and will miss you every day for the rest of my life. A piece of my heart is with you. Heaven is a better and funnier place with you in it. May your beautiful soul rest with the Angels my love. I will see you again soon."
FIU sophomore Richard Humble told the Today show that Duran was driving him back from a doctor's appointment when the bridge fell on top of Duran's SUV.
"It fell on the roof of the car and kind of caved in on my neck and squished me down. But I didn't really know what was going on at all," he said.
Humble said he screamed Duran's name, but she never responded to him.
A photo taken at the scene shows that the bridge fell at an angle on top of Duran's SUV.
Duran was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority at FIU.
"She has been described by her friends as a person who had the ability to light up the room with her funny and outgoing personality," the sorority said in a statement Saturday. "The loss of a member, especially a young woman with so much potential, is felt throughout our entire Sisterhood. Alpha Xi Delta sends our deepest condolences to Alexa’s family and friends."
Duran was a freshman political science major at FIU and previously attended Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy High School, in Southwest Ranches.
"She was a very bright person, and she always had a smile on her face," Duran's friend, identified only as Daniella, told Local 10 News reporter Roy Ramos. "We had to call her mom. It was a rough process."
Humble's mother told Ramos that her son is going through a difficult time after losing a friend -- someone he considered like a sister.
