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The family that fell

After the I-35W bridge crumbled beneath the Coulter family's car as they headed to a celebration dinner, the family was plucked from the wreckage and scattered, one by one. All four were hurt, with Paula Coulter one of the most critically injured of all the victims. It's been nearly five months, but for them, normalcy is still a long way off.

Jim Gehrz, Star Tribune

The Coulters, of Savage, were on their way to a celebration when their van and their lives were turned upside-down in the wreckage of the I-35W bridge.

Shock, fear follow family’s hard fall

By Maura Lerner, Star Tribune

Last update: June 03, 2008

PART ONE OF THREE

Brandi Coulter huddled in the corner of the ambulance and stared down at the two men on stretchers.

One man was strapped into a neck brace, an oxygen mask over his mouth. The other looked as though his teeth had been bashed in; his face was covered in dirt and blood.

Brandi, 17, drew up her knees to ease the pain knifing through her back. She didn't know where they were headed, and she hardly cared; she just wanted to get there and find her family.

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Audio slide show: The Coulter family

Thirteen people died and hundreds of lives were changed the day the I-35W bridge fell. Hear the many stories of survival as part of our interactive presentation that shows where the cars were and who was in them.

More from this series:

  • Part 2: Shattered family waits for a comforting voice
    The doctors told the Coulters that Paula might never recover. "Look for a nursing home," they were advised. Then one day her daughter's cell phone rang
  • Part 3: Hurdles on the road home
    As her husband and daughters struggled with their own injuries, Paula Coulter was preparing to leave the hospital. But for the Coulters, ordinary life was still a long way off. The third of three parts.