March 18 (UPI) — Fourteen people were injured, two seriously, when a bar’s bridge collapsed in Georgia, authorities said.
A 12-foot-high courtyard deck fell around 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Rogue Water Tap House in Savannah, the city’s fire department posted on Twitter.
People seated on and beneath the 12-foot by 12-foot platform were injured, the Savannah Morning News reported. The fire department arrived at 4:39 p.m., two minutes after being dispatched because the station was just one block away.
One firefighter was visiting from New York to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
“I ran in the back and some people were running in the back and I was yelling at people to get out,” the first responder told WTOC-TV. “Get out. That’s what happened and I just did what I did.
Brian Holloway, who was visiting his son from Ohio, was sitting at the bar when the deck collapsed.
“People are flying out trying to get out of the bar,” Holloway said to the TV station. “My son and all the other bartenders went back to find out what was going on.”
No life-threatening injuries were reported by passengers who were transported or walked in to several hospital. Memorial Medical Center in Savannah said all but one of the seven admitted patients were released.
The bar later reopened Saturday.
“We are deeply saddened by the terrible incident that occurred today during a time of celebration in our city,” Chris Clarke, the owner of Rogue Water, said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with those injured and impacted.
“The safety of our customers and staff are of the utmost importance and we have been working closely and cooperating fully with the city of Savannah fire marshal and building inspector.”
Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is the second-largest in the United States and third-largest in the world, CNN reported. Vice President Mike Pence was among the spectators of the parade, which traces its roots to 1824.
