Deck Collapses at Jersey Shore

A deck at an oceanfront residence collapsed Saturday night during a Fourth of July party, sending 31 people to four area hospitals. Police said several others were treated at the scene. Most of the injuries were cuts, bruises, broken bones, and injuries to the back, neck and pelvis. One person underwent surgery for an injury, said Police Chief Dan DePolo.

Those hurt were taken to three hospitals in northern Ocean County and one in neighboring Monmouth County.

DePolo said the 20-foot by 12-foot deck, which was 10 feet off the ground, gave way about 9:25 p.m. during the Independence Day party at 2 Delaware Ave. About 300 to 500 people were attending the party, but most of them were on the beach.

The number of people on the deck at the time of the collapse ranged from 12 to 25, the chief said. He said the structure was an older one, which may have been a factor in the incident.

"There was some rot you would expect with a deck this age, plus the number of people on it," he said.

The house has been condemned by building inspectors because the collapse damaged part of its roof, DePolo said.

The party was an annual event, said one of the men who has rented the two-story, cedar-shingle house with a group of friends from northern New Jersey for four years. Security had been hired and partygoers had their hands stamped.

The man, who declined to give his name, wasn't on the deck during the collapse, but he heard it. "It sounded like emptying a can of Lincoln logs; you could hear the wood on top of the wood," he said.

The man said there was no indication of a problem. "But believe me, if there was, we would have done something about it. Two people I spoke to said there was no creaking or any kind of warning; it just went," he said.

Matt Task, of Warren Township, was on the deck, standing near the railing when it gave way. "It was like slow motion. We were just falling. It couldn't have lasted that long, but it felt like eternity," he said.

Task said the deck separated at the edge nearest the house. It pulled away and fell onto the sand. He said part of it remained dangling a foot above the sand, shielding several people standing underneath from being crushed.

After getting up, Task and others began grabbing pieces of wood throwing them aside to free people who had become pinned.

Those who were hurt were then taken into the street where ambulances were arriving and first-aiders were setting up a triage area.

Task, who works as a deck builder, said he examined the side of the house after the incident. The deck appeared to have been nailed instead of bolted to the house, he said.

"There was no way we exceeded the weight limit for that structure. There were a lot more people on that deck in past years than there were tonight," he said.

Walter Cua of Watchung was on a deck at a house next door. "I heard a big cracking sound and the whole deck buckled. It was panic after that," he said.

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Author: 6 ABC-AP