Multiple members of 1 family injured in deck collapse at Christmas party

ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — A deck collapse at a home in Rockdale County left multiple members of one family injured Saturday as they enjoyed a Christmas party.

The incident happened at a home on Lake Sorrento Drive in Rockdale County around 4:30 p.m. Eight members of the family were taken to hospitals after the two-story deck collapsed while they took holiday pictures.

Two of the victims were brought to Grady Memorial Hospital by air ambulance.

Four more were taken to hospitals by ground ambulance and two self-transported to hospitals. Several more people were treated at the scene.

Channel 2's Michael Seiden spoke off-camera to the homeowner, who said it is a miracle no one was killed.

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She told Seiden her two sisters suffered compound leg fractures and had surgery on Sunday.

"Everybody is in good spirits. Everybody is lifted up," the homeowner said.

The homeowner, who didn't want to be identified, said the collapse came out of nowhere.

"We were getting ready to snap a photo, and I just blacked out," she said.

The homeowner wasn't injured, but she saw her family members with horrific injuries.

"I rolled over and I saw my sister. Her foot, the bone was sticking out of her foot. Out of her boot," she said.

A neighbor said as soon as he heard the screams, he rushed toward the debris.

"We are moving their cars, helping the ambulance come down and they have a helicopter, so that was crazy," Damani Allen said.

The victims range in age from 19 to 70 years old.

The homeowner said she's still in shock.

"I'm the only one that didn't get injured, because I think I fell on two people who saved me," she said.

A GoFundMe has been created to help the family. To learn more and donate, click here.

Code enforcement and building inspectors are working to figure out how the collapse happened.

Police said the victims have broken bones, including compound fractures, but none of the injuries are life-threatening. They are all expected to make a full recovery.

Channel 2 Action News has learned that the homes in the subdivision are some of the oldest in the area and were built in the 1960s and 1970s.

Rockdale Fire and National Emergency Medical Services originally responded to the scene but called in additional EMS support from DeKalb County.

Cox Media Group