CROWN POINT | Lawyers for victims of the July 4 suspension footbridge collapse and the Ross Township trustee agreed to finalize a deal that would preserve the remains of the bridge for inspection by structural experts.

Valparaiso lawyer Kenneth J. Allen and other attorneys gathered Wednesday morning in Lake County Circuit Court for a brief preliminary hearing in a $5.5 million lawsuit against Ross Township and Township Trustee John Rooda, who oversees Hidden Lake Park, the site of a fireworks event that drew the crowd to the bridge that night.

The court had previously granted Allen a temporary restraining order to preserve evidence from the collapse scene. Lawyers said Wednesday they hope to have a final hearing on the matter July 29.

There were no fatalities when the bridge gave way at the close of the fireworks display, but more than 25 people who fell into the water were injured. It is estimated around 100 people were on the bridge when it collapsed. - By Bill Dolan, The Times