The story of an overpass collapsing in Istanbul

A footbridge has collapsed in Istanbul, killing one and injuring four. It was actually so poorly built that it didn’t need to be hit by a truck to collapse: A strong wind or a group of children running on it would have been enough An overpass collapsed Sept. 3 in the magnificent district of Avcılar when the raised trailer of a tanker truck hit it on the busy E-5 highway, killing one person and injuring four others.

This is not even news anymore. Istanbul is a dangerous place for the man on the street. (And maybe the woman at home.)

An overpass collapses one day, a car falls off the ferry another day, deadly traffic accidents happen almost by the hour, a city bus catches fire, a husband kills a wife every other day, a construction worker falls from a high place, a piece of cement falls from a tall building hitting pedestrians, the rope of the ferry breaks and snaps and then the cycle starts again: A overpass collapses one day, a car falls off…

Believe it or not, while we were driving past that infamous Avcılar overpass about a month ago, seeing the poorly constructed legs and structure, I told my husband: “This bridge is about to collapse.” Not that I am a very wise person but it was so badly built, it did not even need a truck to hit it. Even strong winds would have made the bridge collapse.

The mentality of contractors in our country, particularly those who work for the government, can be described as the following (this is an imaginary scenario, but it could also be very close to the truth):
You start going to the same mosque with top officials, with the mayor, deputy mayor and heads of departments in the municipality. Maybe after a few Friday prayers, you develop a relationship. If...