Witnesses recount moment Bayshore parking structure collapsed

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GLENDALE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Many thankful drivers left Bayshore Mall Thursday after the Silver Spring parking structure partially collapsed and left no injuries.


"Just in shock, in disbelief," one witness said.

The witnesses who spoke with CBS 58 said they park in that structure multiple days a week.

"You see a couple like cracks here and there in the concrete, but you don't think it's actually going to come falling in," a witness said.

Traci Schram said she parked on the ground floor just minutes before the collapse. 

"It could have been so much worse," Schram said.

Schram's car was undamaged and able to be moved, but she said others she saw weren't as lucky.

"Anyone who is parked up is essentially trapped up there because they can't get down," Schram said.

The fire department said two cars were totaled and more than 50 will be stuck inside until the ramp is fixed.

A spokesperson for Insurance Information Institute told CBS 58 people who have a car stuck inside the structure might qualify for a rental depending on their auto policy. 

"The first thing you should do is reach out to your insurance professional," Scott Holeman, a media relations director at Insurance Information Institute, said. "In situations like this, there's always the potential for lawsuits to arise and so that could take some time to determine where the fault lies."

A student at Bryant and Stratton College's Bayshore Campus was supposed to a take a midterm exam Thursday afternoon but was sent home.

"We actually have a couple classmates stuck in there as well as my professor," the student said.

She and other people who park in that structure regularly said they have questions about safety going forward.

"I'm extremely scared and I'm concerned for (the) future," the student said.

People with cars inside the parking structure should call Bayshore Courtesy Patrol at 414-906-8054 to retrieve their items left inside. Their cars could be stuck for months.

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