MERRILLVILLE | A Gary woman injured in a Fourth of July bridge collapse at Hidden Lake Park filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking more than $5 million in damages.

Treneice Campbell said she thought she was going to die when the wooden pedestrian bridge she was on collapsed after a fireworks display at the Merrillville park.

Campbell, 37, who was one of the most seriously injured victims of the collapse, reported suffering spinal and leg fractures. She filed the lawsuit along with her husband, Lawrence Campbell, 41, who also was on the bridge when it gave way.

The lawsuit, which targets Ross Township and Township Trustee John Rooda -- the entity and person responsible for the park and the fireworks event -- seeks $5 million for Treneice Campbell and $500,000 for her husband.

"We intend to hold those in charge fully accountable for the harm they've caused the Campbell family and the other victims," said Valparaiso personal injury attorney Kenneth J. Allen, who is representing the Campbells.

Allen also requested a temporary restraining order seeking to preserve evidence until the cases are resolved.

At a news conference Wednesday at Allen's office, Campbell -- sitting in a wheelchair -- recounted her moment of horror.

"I heard a snap and fell in the water," she said.

"It was just a very, very scary moment."

Another of Allen's clients at the news conference, Markieta Moore, 22, of Merrillville, said she suffered a back injury she fears will derail her plans to become a pilot.

Moore, who said she can't swim, was with her 5-year-old daughter, Maijah Brewer, when both fell into the water.

"Where's my daughter?" Moore recalled thinking before they were safely reunited.

Allen, who reported to be considering representing a dozen of the bridge collapse victims, said the incident never should have happened. He hopes the legal action, filed in Lake County, will prevent "this kind of predictable and preventable event from ever happening again."

Crown Point attorney Jewell Harris Jr. said he is representing bridge collapse victims Delvert and Sherry Cole, of Merrillville, and he expects to file a lawsuit by Friday. Sherry Cole suffered serious leg injuries, Harris said.

Allen, in the lawsuit he prepared, stated the township has an obligation to maintain Hidden Lake Park and its structures, to warn about dangers and to provide crowd control at events.

Allen said it is "inexcusable" that an estimated 100 fireworks spectators were allowed on a bridge known to be unsafe if used by more than 40 people, and that the users were not alerted to the potential danger. He said in the past, police officers would control the number of people exiting via the bridge. Rooda could not be reached Wednesday for comment about the lawsuit.

The bridge collapse happened about 10 p.m. Saturday. Authorities and witnesses said a large crowd was on the bridge when it fell and some occupants were jumping and bouncing on it.

About 50 of the people on the bridge tumbled into the water. About 25 of them were injured, and there were no fatalities.

The investigation into the cause of the bridge collapse continues, but authorities have focused their attention on a rusty I-beam.

Rooda, in an earlier interview, said construction of the bridge was completed in 1981, about two years before he became Ross Township trustee. He was told the span could handle about 40 people at one time.

Rooda said maintenance personnel inspected the bridge at least monthly, and no structural problems were noticed before the collapse. Rooda said he began preliminary discussions with an engineer Tuesday about building a new bridge but did not reach a decision. Allen pledged to donate $25,000 of any attorney fees he receives from the lawsuit to rebuild the bridge.

Allen said victims -- who suffered everything from "fright and terror to a broken back and leg" -- continue to contact him. He had not decided if the case will involve individual lawsuits or a class-action suit.