Miami Deck Collapse During NBA Finals Injures 24 at Sports Bar
Though the city of Miami has plenty of reason to celebrate after a clutch win by the Heat in game 4 of the NBA Finals, not everyone was rejoicing. During the game Thursday night, a packed Miami-area sports bar's deck collapsed into the water, sending 24 to the hospital.
The bar, Shuckers Bar & Grill in North Bay Village, was hosting a large contingent of Miami Heat basketball fans last night when the outside deck portion of the establishment crumbled under the weight of roughly 100 people.
"It was shock," said one patron of the bar, Martin Torres. "People were yelling. Nobody knew. People came out all wet. They were crying. For a while, nobody knows what was going on."
Witnesses claimed that there was a loud snap, almost like an explosion, when the deck crumbled underneath the weight of all those people. They said that it was so loud in the bar that people did not immediately notice what had happened, and for a while there was a large amount of confusion.
"That was a big gathering watching the Miami Heat and Spurs. There were a lot of TVs and everybody was in celebration and it was loud. So when it started happening, some people didn't even realize what was going on," said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokeswoman Griselle Marino.
Many of those that were on the deck suffered only minor injuries -- a few cuts and bruises at worst. Several unlucky ones received large gashes to the face, however, and one man sustained a bone fracture. Two victims are still in the hospital and are classified as being in serious condition.
Fortunately, the water that the people fell in to was not very deep, reaching only about four to five feet at most. There was some concern that there were people trapped under pieces of the collapsed deck, but a thorough investigation by around 50 fire rescue members found no one among the rubble.
The Miami Heat ended up winning Game 4 of the best-of-7 series against the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 109-93. After the game, the players were informed of what happened in Miami and gave their condolences to all who were involved.
"I'd like to share our concerns as an organization and our gratitude to our fans back in Miami, but share our concerns for all that were injured tonight at Shucker's restaurant," said the star of Game 4, Dwyane Wade.