The Coulter Family: a moving saga

The Minneapolis Star Tribune did an excellent job with their heart wrenched profile on the Coulter family. The Coulter family was just a typical American family. Brad, his wife Paula, and their two daughters, Brandi and Brianna were driving to meet relatives when the I-35 bridge collapsed. The photo slide show unveils the horrifying details of the collapse that lead to the deaths of thirteen people and the survival story of the Coulter family. The photographs are all excellent and show the ordeal as well as the triumphant recovery of Paula Coulter. Coulter was in the hospital undergoing rehabilitation procedures for 4 months before she returned to warm reception from neighbors, family, and pets.
The audio that accompanies these photos makes the photos stronger. The shots of the bridge collapse are accompanied by police switchboard calls from victims of this tragedy and bystanders alike. The switchboard seems uncaring and unaware of how enormous this crisis really is in reality. It makes you think about historical tragedies such as September 11th and just how unfathomable these events are to people who are not seeing the pictures on TV or the people who are actually there in person.
The photos of the daughters receiving treatment also provides context that every member of this family suffered injuries in this tragic accident. The slide show also has some speeches made by survivors who lost loved ones. It shows how the event effected more people then just the centered sources. The photos of the people taking cell phone pictures made the story more real. I also feel like this photo essay was necessary because the aftermath of this event was never really covered in national news. I was always curious about what happened after the bridge collapse and this poignant photo essay provided this info.
The photo essay by Jim Gehrz is moving and a necessary reminder about an event that has gone forgotten by many Americans. It deserved the POY award of excellence.