25 hospitalized after patio deck collapses during event at Montana country club
Dozens of people were injured after a patio deck collapsed at a country club in Billings, Montana, on Saturday night, authorities said. No deaths have been reported in connection with the incident.
The collapse happened during an event at the city's Briarwood country club. Video footage published by CBS affiliate KTVQ appears to show debris scattered across the ground below an elevated outdoor deck following the incident. Briarwood is a private golf club that hosts events such as weddings and corporate gatherings at a restaurant on the property, according to its website.
Twenty-five adults were transported from the scene of the collapse to local hospitals, while another eight people were treated for injuries at the scene and released, the Billings Police Department said in a post shared on Facebook Sunday morning. An "unknown number" of people who were hurt in the collapse "walked away without treatment," according to the department.
Authorities have not shared information about the circumstances surrounding the patio collapse or what led up to it. Some of the reported injuries include head injuries, broken bones, cuts and scrapes, Lt. Matt Lennick, a spokesperson for the Billings Police Department, told CBS News in an email on Sunday, adding that nobody was critically injured.
Officers, emergency medical crews and fire officials in Billings responded to a rescue call in the area where the Briarwood country club is located just before 8 p.m. local time on Saturday, the police department said in an initial Facebook post shared on Saturday night. At the time, they advised that the area "may be congested with emergency response vehicles while they finish clearing the area and assisting the victims."
A handful of people hurt in the patio collapse were treated at Billings Clinic, said Dr. Clint Seger, the chief executive officer of the health care organization, in a statement to KTVQ on Saturday night. At the time, Seger said the clinic had already received six patients injured in the collapse and was expecting "at least three more," according to the station.
"Billings Clinic is fully prepared to help with this unfortunate situation. We have multiple trauma surgeons, ER physicians and the ER team along with critical care staff on site receiving patients," the statement read.
CBS News contacted the Briarwood country club and Billings Clinic for additional information but did not receive immediate replies.