About 27 people were posing for a group picture atop a 12-foot high deck when it sheared off of a home in Forest Lake, MN. The Forest Lake, MN deck collapse occurred just prior to 8 p.m. on Saturday and sent several people to local hospitals with injuries. Our deck collapse injury attorneys note that at least one person sustained injuries serious enough to require transport to the hospital by air
The Forest Lake deck collapsed from the Tulgren home in the 18600 block of Harrow Avenue N. Saturday evening’s gathering at the home was a send-off party for the two Tulgren daughters that were leaving for a trip to Africa for 4 months.
The deck collapsed suddenly sending a group of people ranging in age from 4 to 84 years tumbling to the ground with the debris. One family member described the collapse as “slow motion,” which may have mitigated the extent of the injuries and prevented fatal ones. The family says the injuries and damage could have been worse. At least 7 people received needless injuries in the Forest Lake, MN collapse.
A Tulgren family member mentioned that the deck, like the house, was 23 years old. He said they’d had large gatherings before and not had any trouble with the deck.
Our deck collapse injury attorneys point out that authorities on outdoor structures generally give 20 years as a maximum useful lifespan for a deck. Depending upon weather conditions, construction methods, and other factors, that projected lifespan of a deck could be considerably shorter. It sounds like the Tulgren family deck had been used regularly but perhaps not received any regular inspection or maintenance attention.
Neglect of proper maintenance and regular inspections might have been a factor in the multiple injury summer deck collapse. Our deck collapse injury attorneys can’t stress enough the importance of regular checks by qualified inspectors and proper maintenance in ensuring your safety and the safety of your guests on decks and other outdoor structures.
You might be surprised to know that a deck collapse occurs almost every single day in the United States. And many of these collapse lead to severe, permanent, and even fatal injuries. And in many cases, a negligent homeowner and his insurance company could be liable to the victims for their accident expenses and injuries. To learn more about the causes of outdoor deck collapses and how to prevent them, download our deck collapse injury attorneys’ free book on balcony and deck collapses. It’s available free from this web page.