By ANDRE COE, Associated Press Writer Andre Coe, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 42 mins ago
DALLAS – A concrete-and-aluminum awning collapsed Tuesday outside a north Texas gym, killing a teenage girl and injuring another as they jogged past, authorities said.
The awning fell outside the Club Barbells Gym in Bridgeport.
Bridgeport police spokeswoman Amber Fogelman told The Associated Press that Leslie Denison, a senior at Bridgeport High School, died after the heavy-duty metal awning fell from the side of a building about eight feet above the sidewalk.
Fellow Bridgeport senior Rebekah Logan suffered severe facial lacerations in the accident, Fogelman said. Logan was airlifted to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, where hospital spokesman Anthony Vargas said she was in good condition Tuesday night.
Fogelman did not immediately have the girls' ages.
Tonette Ferguson heard the awning collapse across the street from the gym at the variety store where she works.
"All we saw and heard was a crash and a boom and the dust," Ferguson said, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's online edition. "I called 911 and ran outside to see what was going on. People are pretty upset right now."
Authorities do not know what caused the collapse.
"They were jogging past the building on Halsell Street and the awning just collapsed," Fogelman told The AP. "We have no idea why at this time."
Both girls were cheerleaders and ran cross country at the school, Superintendent Eddie Bland said.
"We're dealing with major tragedy here," Bland told The AP, saying both girls were "model students."
"If you had children, they were the kind of girls you would like your children to grow up to be," he said.
Students and staff were holding a candlelight vigil at the school gymnasium.
"They're devastated. They're sharing stories because they want to keep the memories that they have alive," Bland said. "This is a small town and it's like a family."
The school district will have counselors available for students Wednesday, he said.
Bridgeport is about 45 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090826/...wning_collapse
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