Austin deck collapse lawyers note a traumatic incident in which 4 people were hospitalized with serious injuries including broken bones and six other people were treated for minor injuries after an Austin deck suddenly collapsed. The deck, attached to the back of a house that overlooked a steep ravine, surrounded an above ground pool. Around 20 people were on the deck when it collapsed at about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The Austin deck collapse sent the 20 people tumbling down the canyon hillside below along with deck debris. The deck collapse victims initially fell 18 feet into the ravine along with the debris and then slid about another 20 feet down the ravine. Some of the victims were partially buried by the deck debris.

Five fire crews and EMS responded to the deck collapse disaster. Rescuers took around an hour to dig victims from the deck debris since they had to take extra care to prevent the above ground pool from collapsing and falling down after the deck. Austin building inspectors have begun an investigation into the cause of the dangerous deck collapse.

An Austin Fire Department spokesman said that in the past five years several other residential decks have collapsed in a similar way. He attributed the cause of one collapse to partial rotting underneath, another to overcrowding, and a third collapse to a failure to conform to Austin construction standards. (Source: Austin American Statesman, Marty Toohey, 7/14/2012)

Our Austin deck collapse lawyers remind everyone to check their decks for safety, especially while the summer BBQ season is in full swing. Additional guests on your deck could mean additional costly liabilities from injuries or even fatalities if your deck should suddenly collapse during a summer party. Download our free book from this web page to learn what to do in the event that a sudden deck or balcony collapse injures you.

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