At least 14 hurt after deck collapse at North Carolina beach

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

EMERALD ISLE, N.C. (AP) — A deck collapsed at a North Carolina beach house as a family got set to take a group photo, leaving at least 14 people injured with two of those in critical condition, authorities said.

A spokeswoman at a nearby hospital later said 20 people, including a young child, were rushed to that one hospital alone following the Saturday evening incident, indicating the injury total was higher.

Emerald Isle Police Chief Jeffrey Waters said an emergency call came in at 6:59 p.m. Saturday and first responders arrived within minutes at the oceanfront home in that barrier island resort community, which was packed with beachgoers for the long holiday weekend.

"The family was on the deck preparing to take a family photo when the event occurred," the police statement said.

FULL story at link.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/994148b591d848278600949d66717a82/least-14-hurt-after-deck-collapse-north-carolina-beach

[underpants]

1. OBX is taking a beating

Wow

[BlueJazz]

2. I'm sure some of us are sometimes a little weary to venture out on a high deck or balcony..

...that is showing some age. I don't pay a lot of attention if it's a low place. From about 6 ft up, I look at the situation (especially the number of people) very closely.
Hope nobody dies from the above post.

[HereSince1628]

4. Most people assume structures are built to code and maintained.

unlike you, most people likely wouldn't look at or know how to judge if the joists were properly hung or examined the fasteners to see if they were corrosion resistant. The rim of the deck seems to be built of large diameter posts...the elements most people might glance at didn't fail.

Building codes exist for good reasons. The investigation into this will probably quickly reveal why this section of deck failed.

I too hope no one dies from this.

[BlueJazz]

6. "are built to code and maintained" Yeah, seems like lately, there's been a rash of people getting..

...hurt by structures falling (or perhaps the incidents are getting more news). I look especially close if something is built by the beach.

Years ago some friends and I headed to the beach and at the time, there was a large Ferris wheel there. After I pointed out the damn rusty-ass-thing looked like it was about to collapse, the words turned from "O'boy, let's go up on the wheel..to...Ah..I don't think so"

[Exultant Democracy]

16. Yeah "built to code" for what? Is also a good quesiton

my guess is you pack enough people onto every wooden porch in the US that a whole lot of them would fall after a few hours of dancing.

[cstanleytech]

8. I'm not by any means an expert in construction but if

a deck was springy underfoot and or looked like it as really old and I saw alot of warped wood or felt loose boards underfoot I would be very hesitant to step onto it fully and I sure as hell wouldnt step on it with 20 other people at the same time.

[HereSince1628]

15. Yes, people will be aware of such things as they are obvious...

most people don't get beyond obvious, because we take for granted that structures are built to code requirements and properly maintained.

Over the past decade there have been a series of these sorts of collapses on multi-story porches in Chicago.

http://www.chicagonow.com/your-doubting-thomas/2010/09/chicago-doesnt-learn-another-porch-collapse-injures-four-in-lakeview/

This stuff is happening all over the country and not to what look like old dilapidated structures... low skilled labor, bad or no inspection during construction, poor or absent maintenance. A new 16 penny nail has tremendous shear strength, so to an untrained builder it seems adequate, but in a corrosive environment they can rust through in a handful of years.

Most people see paint and exposed boards, but there really are reasons for building requirements that get right down into specifications about the hanging hardware, nails/screws.

[Jamastiene]

14. I have learned to check too.

You can't always trust that things are checked for safety by others.

[Ezlivin]

3. They don't require periodic inspections?

Does each municipality decide how to oversee structures like this? I would think that regular inspections of wooden support structures would be mandated.

[NV Whino]

5. Once a house is built the only inspection you will get

Will be from insurance companies when it's time to renew a policy. And most of those inspections have to do with fire safety rather that structural stability.

[cstanleytech]

9. Yup which is how alot of property owners who rent get away with renting

houses and apartments that are literally death traps in some cases.

[Jamastiene]

13. Well, this is the same state where

the fire exit doors were locked and 25 people burned to death in a chicken processing plant because the owners were afraid employees* might be stealing chicken.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamlet_chicken_processing_plant_fire

*Race wasn't officially mentioned by the investigators, because that part was glossed over. It was the black employees they thought were stealing the chicken, because that was the owners' and supervisors' mentality. My mother worked there for a short while. She quit working there after she asked them why all of the exits in the back of the plant were locked. That is what she was told. She had nowhere to turn to get something done about the racist reason they put all of their employees as risk. So, she quit. I'm only mentioning this part because I don't want people to ever forget that part of why that fire and all those deaths happened, not because I think it might have anything to do with this current situation. I just don't want people to forget that part. It was atrocious.

[onethatcares]

7. too many of these decks

are bolted to a sill on the side of the house without being cantilevered back into the main structure.

[happyslug]

10. Looks like good construction, but no maintenance.

Preliminary findings reveal the floor joists and fasteners failed to hold the deck together, Emerald Island Town Manager Frank Rush said today. The fasteners may have deteriorated over time, Rush said.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/inspectors-investigating-deck-collapse-north-carolina-beach-house/story?id=32227953

Notice the Joist holding the second floor did not move, the second floor is still solid. It is the first floor deck the caved in

[Skittles]

11. I am wishing this family well

that is a dreadful thing to happen

[truthisfreedom]

12. Terrible tragedy!

I wish them well.