A second-story deck collapsed as birthday party guests gathered on it to take a group photo, a witness told a Georgia news outlet.
Nine people were injured after the deck gave way on Sunday, May 28, Liberty County Fire Services told WSAV.
First responders were called at about 7 p.m. ET to a home in Midway. A photo that news outlets posted online show the parts of the deck that once stood 14 to 16 feet in the air touched the ground after the collapse.
Paul Barnett told WJCL it happened as he and others were celebrating his cousin’s 70th birthday.
“There was about 12, 15 of us on the deck taking one group picture,” Barnett told the TV station. “And by the time we all got situated, the deck collapsed.”
Fire Chief Brian Darby said the nine people injured in the collapse spanned multiple age groups. All were taken to hospitals with injuries that are believed to be non-life-threatening, the Coastal Courier reported.
“Darby said one person suffered a compound fracture which required a tourniquet, and several individuals suffered minor lacerations,” the newspaper reported.
Liberty County Fire Services didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on May 29.
Midway is roughly 30 miles southwest of Savannah.