Cameron County had Eight People Fall into Darkness in four minutes September 15, 2001. The Queen Isabella Causeway the only bridge connecting South Padre Island to Cameron County mainland collapsed when a barge hit the support columns at 3:30 AM. Eight people drove off the edge into the Laguna Madre in total darkness. No warning. No barriers. Just 160 feet of missing bridge. Three survived out of eleven who went over. The island was cut off for weeks. Now a $12 million warning system protects th