Chicago porch collapse

[alphachiohmy]

CHICAGO (June 29) - The overloaded third-floor porch of an apartment building collapsed during a party early Sunday, sending people and debris crashing to the ground. Twelve young people were killed and as many as 35 others were injured, authorities said.

There may have been dozens of people on the third-floor porch when it collapsed shortly past midnight, knocking the second-floor deck to the ground as well and trapping some people in a basement stairwell, authorities said.

''There was chaos,'' Chicago Fire Commissioner James Joyce said of the scene that greeted the first emergency workers to arrive. ''There were people screaming and crying in the alley.''

Joyce said 11 people were pronounced dead at the scene and 35 others were taken to area hospitals. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office later confirmed that another person was pronounced dead at Advocate Illinois Medical Center.

The collapse occurred in the Wrigleyville neighborhood on the city's North Side.

''It was simply a case of too many people in a small space,'' Joyce said.

Fina Cannon, a young woman who was at the party, said a large number of people had been on the third-floor porch, and others were on the second-floor porch. She said all the guests were in their early 20s, and many had graduated several years ago from New Trier High School in Chicago's northern suburbs.

Cannon told Chicago cable television station CLTV that she had entered the building from the rear porch area, but avoided the decks after getting to the party. She said she was in the back kitchen, looking out at the porch when it collapsed.

''All of a sudden I saw all these heads going down,'' Cannon said. ''The floor just dropped out from underneath them. They all went down in unison.''

Michelle Myers, the mother of one young man who had been on the porch, said her son managed to jump to the kitchen doorway as the floor gave way.

Joyce, the fire commissioner, issued a message of caution about safety during Chicago's annual Gay Pride Parade, which was scheduled for later Sunday in the same general neighborhood.

''It's a tragic case of overloading the back porches,'' he said. ''We have concern over tomorrow (Sunday). We know that tomorrow is a big day in this community with the parade, and we urge everyone to use common sense and not overload the porches.''

Chicago Police said as many as 40 or 50 people may have been on the porch at the time of the collapse - far more than the building's decks are designed to hold, according to neighbors.

''The porches back there could probably facilitate 20 to 30 people,'' said one neighbor, Dr. David Guelich, an orthopedic surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where some of the victims were taken.

Witnesses said the rails of the third-floor porch were still in place several hours after the collapse, but the floor had fallen out completely.

Neighbors said they saw emergency workers using chain saws to cut through the debris to get to the victims.

AP-NY-06-29-03 0622EDT

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press._ All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

[alphachiohmy]

This is sad to watch, I have to go into work at the paper today - don't know if I will be involved on reporting on this yet.

Now I remember why I don't like some television reporters ... ughh at least the one that is reporting on this on on television station. You don't say - this is a very traumatic experience ... or use the word guesstimate. This one reporter is horribly cliche and inaccurrae frustrates me.

And this didn't happen in Wrigleyville like the AP story says, it happened more south in Lincoln Park. I live in the neighborhood in Lakeview, just north of this one.

My thoughts are with the victims.

[Senusret I]

Wow....this is awful.

My former roommate went to New Trier...

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Yeah, a lot of us are really on edge waiting for them to release the names...

[vukkg]

My Key Sister lives in the complex...there were some really scary moments this morning. Her IM says she and her apt are ok but my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families at this very difficult time.

[KillarneyRose]

How terrible

[docetboy]

It really is too bad...

On a side note, my dad lived 4 blocks away when he was growing up...

[AXJules]

OMG.........

So my 2 best friends from HS were at the party Sat. night....said it was awesome but Ali wanted to leave because "the thing looked like it was going to collapse". Everyone was pissed at her for being annoying and now she's saved my friends' lives....

I am so freaked out. Please please please you guys, I know all of us go to parties and don't really keep your eyes and ears open to what's going on....it's so easy to be more worried about the keg going dry or someone you're crushing on then like general safety....and most ppl at the party said there was no indication it was going to happen but for some reason Ali saw it....I don't even know what I"m talking about, just please take care of yourselves. Please...

[Senusret I]

Jules, I totally understand what you're saying.

A kid from my alma mater died in that accident. I didn't know him, but my prayers still go out for his family.

[alphachiohmy]

Please email me or pm me if you can. I want to talk with you more!!!! Your pm box is full!

Rhonda

[alphachiohmy]

I ended up reporting on this Saturday after spending all day where it happened... Story is at www.dailyherald.com tonight and can be found via archives tomorrow. I am pretty drained emotionally. It has been a long two days.

[vanda]

One of the guests at the ill fated party who was at first declared dead and resuscitated has now died as well. She didn't have any ID on her when she got to the hospital Sunday so doctors gave a description and showed her belongings on television here to try to find out who she was and she was identified. She had just been accepted to Northwester school of law.

That was not the only tragedy in Chicago this weekend. Four boys just graduating from High School went out for a night of partying, ended up driving down a one way street and struck a tree. They died instantly. They believe drinking was involved and several workers of were they were partying were brought in for questioning.

Another group of graduating teens also hit a pole and the driver was killed instantly and passengers severely injured.

All these young lives gone makes you realize you have to live each day like it's your last and never take life for granted.

[RedRoseSAI]

Some very touching tributes in the Daily Herald archives. So sad...