Little did anyone know that an eight-lane bridge, crossing the Mississippi River in the heart of the city, carrying 134,000 vehicles a day was, at the same time, struggling to sustain the many cars, trucks and lives it transported. On August 1st, at 6:05 p.m., the height of rush hour, the I-35W bridge buckled and plummeted into the Mississippi river more than 65 feet below. The catastrophe that shook the city of Minneapolis had gained national and international media attention.

Johnson Group was awarded the task of directing and producing a training video of the I-35W bridge collapse through the eye witness accounts of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. It took the 20 days to find all known victims and reunite them with their loved ones. Despite the overwhelming obstacles faced by those involved, the handling of the I-35W bridge collapse tragedy was a success. It was carried out strategically, resourcefully, efficiently and compassionately.

An incredible learning experience is shared in a 26-minute training video: Twenty Days in August. The film is narrated by Don Shelby, and features key interviews from Hennepin County Sheriff, Rich Stanek, and Hennepin County Inspectors Michael Carlson and Jeff Storms. It functions as a training tool for how future disaster situations should be handled. The training video has been presented to many high ranking government officials, and leaders in law enforcement and emergency services from around the nation.

Watch a clip of the training video.