A family posing for a photo was met with horror when the deck they were standing on collapsed. INSIDE EDITION reports.
A family gathered for a photo with 24 people; three generations, from babies to grandparents. But just as they were about to say cheese, disaster struck. The deck they were standing on collapsed.
Security cameras captured the moment from three angles. It shows the family plunging 15 feet.
One little girl described the terrifying ordeal, moments after it happened, saying, "I thought it was like a hurricane or something!"
Thank goodness she wasn't hurt, but seven of her relatives were injured and rushed to the hospital.
Jeremy Wilt is the little girls father. He says the deck was a disaster waiting to happen.
"People were laying on the ground. Children were crying," said Jeremy.
The mishap took place last December at a Christmas party in Indiana. The video has only now been released as part of a lawsuit against the construction company that built the deck.
Jeremy explained, "This deck had no bolts, no bracing, no middle supports, no nothing. Just a few nails holding the front of the deck in."
INSIDE EDITION's Megan Alexander asked, "Was this an accident waiting to happen?"
"I can't believe it didn't fall the first week it was built," replied Jeremy.
We've seen these deck collapses before. In another incident, some high school kids were posing for their prom picture, also in Indiana, when the deck gave way. They all got out alive.
"People get hurt way too often. It should never happen," said Jeremy.
Now, this concerned dad is urging everyone to take a closer look at your deck, so this never happens to your family.
Though the family is suing, the company that built the deck says it is not liable because the deck was more than 10 years old. Three members of the family say they are still unable to walk correctly as a result of their injuries.
