Posted on 07/05/2015 2:32:27 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Emerald Isle Police said officers responded at around 7 p.m. to reports of the collapse and multiple injuries, which ranged from cuts to possible "spinal issues," said Town Manager Frank Rush.
...
Rush said the family gathered on a third of the deck for the picture during what was supposed to be their last night of a family reunion vacation, and the victims ranged from age 5 to 94.
Officials said that at least two people were in critical condition as of Sunday morning. All but five of the victims had been treated and released from various hospitals by Sunday afternoon, Rush said during a Sunday afternoon news conference.
Most of the injured were from northern Virginia, Rush said.
He said preliminary findings show the deck collapsed because of deteriorated nails, but the structure, built in 1985, would have met current building requirements. "We're in a harsh natural environment here," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
What’s with the Irish crowding onto small decks and balconies?
Just my opinion, but it’s not the Irish on the deck (or in this case the Irish town name). It’s the Mexicans who are hired to build them and the inspectors who are paid to look the other way.
24 people on a deck?? Maybe it’s past time to have a maximum capacity sign posted for decks.
How many dogs survived?
Rusted nails. Very salty there, HVAC units typically rust out and fail in five years or so.
>>the structure, built in 1985, would have met current building requirements. <<
Kinda says it all.
California may not do much right, but when it comes to updating building requirements after each earthquake, no one is better or faster.
24 people on a deck and all grouped on a small portion of the deck? That would stress a new deck, much less a deck that gets saturated in salt air almost every day. You have to use some common sense.
Building inspectors around here do not look the other way, and are especially strict on houses near the sea, because we have frequent hurricanes (that really stress the buildings).
I think this is a simple case of too many people standing too close together. Few decks are made to handle that kind of stress.
I lived in Emerald Isle in 1985. I built houses and decks during that time. I assure you that the deck in question was not built by Messicans, as I knew everyone who slung a hammer in that town. I can also assure you that the building inspector did not look the other way.
Structures and fasteners have a serviceable life after which they become questionable. The salt air plays hell even on galvanized nails.
Its private property
Probably the supports for the deck were chewed out by the rampant sharks, which of course are a result of global warming.
We need to raise taxes on all fuels or we're going to see much more of this happening.
some common sense
Sorry they don’t make that anymore
The fasteners corroded through and were not strong enough to hold the weight. Anything metal lasts a few years max in the salty air especially an ocean front deck.
Thanks for the information and apologies to all.
They should have used bolts and joist hangers for the major load-bearing parts of the deck, not nails.
This deck sure looks questionable...
It must have been built by monkeys with no permit.
The commonly used face fastened stirrup joist hangers rely entirely on nail strength.
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