A Giles County pedestrian bridge that collapsed in October, injuring nine people, had a defective anchor bolt that snapped, according to a report released today by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The galvanized steel bolt was one of four that connected the two cables that ran along the top of the suspension bridge to heavy concrete blocks buried on both sides of Walker Creek.

Ten people were on the bridge when it fell the afternoon of Oct. 12. All but one was taken to Carilion Giles Memorial Hospital.

The 100-foot-long cable-and-wood bridge hung 30 feet over the creek and served as a secondary access for three homes, VDOT spokeswoman Heidi Underwood csaid.

After the incident, VDOT assembled a team of engineers and scientists to determine its cause. Investigators found that three factors contributed to the collapse: A small defect in the material of one of the bridge’s four anchor bolts, the way in which the eye bolts were anchored and the unusual pedestrian load.

Click here for the full report and the executive summary.