A college fraternity party nearly turned deadly on Saturday when a roof collapsed under the weight of dozens of college students at approximately 6:20 a.m. Dozens of students celebrating St. Fratty’s Day were positioned on various roof tops surrounding the massive celebration. One student panned his cellular camera around the scene to capture the magnitude of the event, catching the collapse just as it happened. The garage roof held dozens of students during the collapse, leaving nine of them injured, and no fatalities. It is estimated that several thousand students were in attendance to the celebration and the party continued well into the night, despite the horrific accident.
Fox News reported that the roof collapse took place as students congregated at California Polytechnic State University, located in San Luis Obispo. The party began on Friday evening and the collapse occurred at approximately 6:20 a.m., with the party still going strong. It is estimated that nearly 3 dozen individuals were standing on the garage roof when it collapsed. Other roof tops held nearly as many students, but did not crumble under their weight.
As the camera panned to the left, the roof collapsed just as it came into frame, showing the students falling to their peril below. Of the students, only nine were injured from the fall and only one was seriously injured. None of the injuries were considered to be life threatening, the individual that was considered serious received a piece of shrapnel through the thigh, the remaining were treated for minor cuts and scrapes.
Cosmopolitan shared that the university was aware of the celebration and was prepared to work with law enforcement to shut the St. Fratty’s Day Party down if it got out of control, threatening “severe sanctions and double fines starting at $700”
A spokesperson for Cal-Poly shared a statement on the incident, stating that the wounded are top priority and then they will decide how to respond to the event.
“We are working closely with fire and hospital officials to stay apprised of the conditions of those who were hurt. Our thoughts are with those injured, and we wish them a speedy recovery. Cal Poly is also in close contact with local public safety agencies as they work to determine exactly what occurred. Their findings will help inform our own efforts to ascertain what led to this incident and decide how we will respond.”
Despite the roof collapse and the injuries, it was reported by neighbors that the party continued onward into Saturday night.
[Photo Courtesy: PBS ]
