THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 28, 1996 TAG: 9604280093
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG, VA. LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
Sixteen college students ages 18 to 26 were injured early Saturday when a third-floor balcony collapsed during a party, dropping people as much as 25 feet onto a concrete patio.
Just after midnight, the wooden balcony gave way under the weight of about 15 to 20 people at the Terrace View Apartments, Blacksburg police said. The front of the balcony broke off and crashed into a second-floor balcony, which was occupied by an additional 20 to 25 people, police said.
The second-floor balcony then collapsed, police Lt. Bruce Bradbery said.
``They all just fell in a tangled heap of bodies, wood, alcohol containers and everything else,'' he said.
Thirteen people were treated at hospitals for injuries ranging from broken bones to cuts and scrapes, then released, Bradbery said. Three people remained hospitalized with more serious injuries.
Bradbery said it was amazing that more people weren't hurt.
``It was really a nightmarish scene,'' he said. ``It was really, really bad.''
The injured were students from Virginia Tech, Radford University, Longwood College and New River Community College, Bradbery said.
The Terrace View Apartments complex, built in 1973, is about a mile from Virginia Tech. Building inspectors were helping with the investigation Saturday afternoon, Bradbery said.
``Once their job is done we'll determine if it was an accident or a structural problem,'' he said.
Each balcony measured about 6 feet by 8 feet, Bradbery said. He said the tenants' leases specify the maximum number of people allowed on a balcony, but he didn't know the specific number.
``One guy said, `We were shoulder to shoulder, we weren't even moving,' '' Bradbery said of one party-goer's statement to police.
Alcohol was involved in parties on both balconies, Bradbery said. A beer keg and trash can full of ice on the third-floor balcony fell to the ground. An empty beer keg on the second-floor balcony also fell.
On Saturday, 18-year-old Louie Hankins of Blacksburg remained hospitalized in stable condition at Radford Community Hospital. Police said he had a fractured leg and possible broken neck.
Susan Cawperthwait, 18, of Blacksburg, was being treated at Montgomery Regional Hospital for internal injuries. Mark Harris, 25, of Blacksburg, was at Montgomery hospital suffering from a spinal fracture.
Both were in satisfactory condition, the hospital said.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT GENERAL INJURIES by CNB