Several injured after Wisconsin pier collapses

MADISON, Wis. — Several people were injured on Monday when the weight of a crowd of students caused a pier to collapse into a Wisconsin pond, authorities said.

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A pier collapse at the Memorial Union Terrace pier sent students tumbling into Lake Mendota in Madison at about 2:35 p.m. CDT, WMTV reported.

The end section of the L-shaped dock appeared to collapse under excessive weight, according to The Badger Herald. In a news release, the City of Madison Fire Department said between 60 and 80 people were on the pier when it collapsed.

“I just heard this single cracking noise,” University of Wisconsin student Griffin Beronio, who was near the dock at the time of the collapse, told the Herald. “The middle parts of it kind of sunk way faster than the sides.”

It was unclear how many people were injured. Fire officials said that one person was hospitalized with an injury that was not considered to be life-threatening, and five others were treated for minor injuries and released at the scene.

A police spokesperson told WKOW-TV that about 20 to 25 people suffered minor injuries. A university police spokesperson gave the same estimate to WISC-TV.

A Memorial Union spokesperson said the pier is now closed and that university officials are investigating, WKOW reported. The pier had been scheduled to be removed on Tuesday due to the end of the summer, according to WMTV.