Tennis team narrowly escapes being on bridge during collapse

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Story Created: Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:55 PM

Story Updated: Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:55 PM

TRIGG COUNTY, Ky. — "We thank God we made it here safe and sound." Those words from the coach of a Tennessee college tennis team.

Coach Carlos Garcia was driving his team to the Kenlake Hotel and made it across the bridge a matter of minutes before the crash that caused it to collapse.

Around seven minutes after calls went out about the collapse, the tennis team from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga arrived at their hotel.

Garcia said it's a feeling he'll never forget.

"The hair on my arms stood up," he said. "It's a little bit of a surreal feeling to be honest, because to think we're that lucky not to be seven minutes behind schedule which is easy with the rain and fog."

Garcia said Murray's men tennis coach Mel Purcell called him to make sure the team arrived safely.

UTC's match with Murray was at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Kenlake tennis center in Aurora.

The team travels to Middle Tennessee University for a match Saturday.