Seven people injured in Long Valley deck collapse
First responders say the deck was "hung up on a tree."
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A deck collapse in the backyard of a Long Valley home injured seven people, sending six of them to the hospital on Sunday.
Crews were called to the scene for reports of a structural collapse with multiple people trapped. When first responders arrived at the location, they found that a large deck had "fallen off a house and was hung up on a tree with further danger of collapse," the Long Valley First Aid Squad said in a post on social media describing the incident.
Multiple first aid, police and fire companies worked to remove and treat the patients who were injured in the collapse, transporting six of them to Morristown Medical Center within 30 minutes. None of the injuries were life-threatening, officials said.
Once the patients were treated and transported, crews, including "structural collapse technicians," went to work, shoring the rest of the deck to prevent any additional collapse until a contractor could respond and remove the damaged structure.
The Long Valley First Aid Squad said the deck was built before the current construction codes were put in place.
"A lot has changed in building construction over the years," first responders said. "This was an older deck built under older codes."
