Thirty-one people were injured after a deck collapsed at an off-campus party near Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, on Saturday night.
Police and firefighters responded to the house at 1715 Broad Street around 11:15 p.m.
A third-floor balcony collapsed onto the second floor balcony, which then collapsed on the first floor, according to Deputy Police Chief Brian Foley.
There were no major injuries, officials said.
A Trinity College statement confirmed that 28 students were transported to the hospital and one refused treatment. College staff went to the hospitals to be with the students and to assist them with getting in touch with their families.
Patients were taken to various hospitals including Hartford Hospital, Saint Francis, John Dempsey Hospital, and Manchester Hospital. Hospital officials confirmed that many of the victims were treated and released from the hospital by mid-morning Sunday.
U.S. & World
Students described a chaotic scene immediately following the collapse. Trinity graduate student Brian Nance said he was at a party across the street when he heard what he thought was some kind of collision. When he looked outside he saw people scattered across the property, and heard crying and police sirens.
Julianna Leone, a Trinity senior, was on one of the porches at the time of the collapse and was taken to the hospital for contusions on her head.
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“I’m so thankful to the people who pulled me out of the rubble. I remember when I didn’t know I was injured and people came over and they’re like you’re bleeding! You need to see a medic, and they helped me,” she said.
Sophomore Erica Junquet said she'd been to parties at the building before and never noticed anything wrong with the balcony.
"It’s scary to think that people that you’ve seen on campus were on there, had gotten hurt and it could have been, like, I didn’t specifically know anyone that was up there but the fact that it could have been someone that I know and it people that I’ve seen every day, it’s horrible," she said.
Trinity College confirmed in a statement that the building is owned by the school and managed by an outside property manager and that they were investigating the incident.
The statement read in part: "Our immediate focus has been and will continue to be on taking care of our students who were hurt in the accident and other campus community members who have otherwise been affected by this unfortunate incident."
The college said an all-campus email went out to students and faculty at 12:50 a.m. on Sunday with follow up messages. In addition to the emails, the school provided updates on its website starting at 9:24 on Sunday morning.
Families concerned about students who may have been injured in the collapse can call Trinity Campus Safety at 860-297-2222.
