At least 28 people were injured Friday night when a deck collapsed at a home in Williamsburg, Virginia, where neighbors said a William & Mary homecoming party was taking place. City officials said the reported injuries were not life-threatening. The university confirmed that students were among those hurt.
Dispatchers received a call about a structure collapse at about 10:07 p.m. on the 200 block of Matoaka Court, according to the city. Police officers and firefighters who arrived found that the home’s rear deck had collapsed.
Emergency crews transported 13 people to hospitals. Another 15 people reportedly went for medical care on their own, the city said in a Saturday morning update. Officials were coordinating with area hospitals to establish how many people had been treated, so the number could change as further information became available.
William & Mary’s senior vice president for student affairs and public safety, Ginger Ambler, said in a Saturday message that the university was still collecting information. She cautioned that additional students might have received care beyond those in the initial count. Ambler said the university’s health, academic and student-support staff were working to help students affected by the collapse, and acknowledged that the incident could affect students in different ways.
Residents described a substantial emergency response at the scene. A neighbor who spoke to WAVY without being identified said ambulances and fire trucks lined the street and recalled seeing hospital gurneys brought out of ambulances. The neighbor estimated that at least nine ambulances were present.
Joshua Wise, who lives next door, told WAVY that some of his classmates were involved. He said he returned after emergency responders had finished their work and learned that his housemate had helped people get home and find assistance. Wise praised both neighbors’ efforts to support one another and the response by emergency personnel.
The city’s Codes Compliance Division is evaluating and inspecting the property. The supplied information does not state what caused the deck to fail, whether the structure had prior problems, or whether officials have made any findings about responsibility. No further details about the injured people or their conditions were provided.
