Tuesday, August 21, 2007
The remains of the last missing person following the bridge collapse in Minneapolis were recovered on Monday. The official death toll now stands at 13, following the collapse nearly three weeks ago. All recovery efforts have now been stopped.
The remains of Gregory Jolstad were found yesterday. Jolstad, nicknamed “Jolly,” was a member of the construction crew that was resurfacing the bridge. Jolstad was driving a skid loader. He was 45.
Jolstad’s wife, Lisa Jolstad, was worried that the search for her husband’s remains would drag on, leaving her without any closure.
Sheriff Rich Stanek said, “There aren’t a lot of smiles here tonight…We all have very heavy hearts. It weighed on a lot of people, both personally and professionally.”
Governor Tim Pawlenty asked President Bush on Monday to declare the collapse a major disaster, allowing the state to be eligible for more federal money. President Bush is scheduled to be in Minneapolis today to get a briefing on the bridge.