Posted: Jun 1, 2012 6:34 AM by Dennis Carlson - MTN News
BELGRADE- "All I heard was screaming," said one eyewitness when a balcony collapsed in Belgrade Thursday night and sent two people to the hospital and emptied four apartments.
A group of five or six people were standing on a second-story balcony at an apartment building on the 1100 block of West Park in Belgrade just after 10:45 p.m. when the structure gave way.
"Yeah and it just fell and we're all like, Oh my gosh," said Austin Reger.
The decking separated from the building and collapsed, spilling the group to the ground. The balcony turned completely upside down before it came to rest on railings that are part of the lower portion of the structure, stranding some residents on the second story of the building.
"The remains of the structure prevented the deck that had fallen from crushing the folks that were on the deck when it collapsed," said Brian Crandell, Assistant Fire Chief for Belgrade Central Valley Fire.
Dakota Towner said falling with the balcony must be like what it feels like to be in quick sand. "It felt like it was sinking in and all of a sudden it started turning and we all just fell."
Eyewitnesses said two individuals were under the structure when it fell.
The News Stations Donna Kelley was on the scene and she tells us two patients were taken by ambulance to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital with unspecified injuries.
Central Valley Firefighters, Belgrade Police and AMR ambulance workers treated several individuals for minor cuts and bruises, including Destinee Mathers. "I've got bandaids and a bruise and I'm all cut up," she said.
Since the collapse cut off access to the building, firefighters used ladders to get to the second story to look for any further damage and then evacuate six residents from the apartments for the night.
The incident is under investigation by the Belgrade Police Department.
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