The annual Mifflin Street block party held near the University of Wisconsin kicked off like it does every other year until a balcony full of students collapsed around 11:30 a.m, sending two people to the hospital and injuring another.
The balcony was rotting and gave in to the pressure of over 20 people. The students fell 15 feet to the ground. Emergency personnel and property owners responded to the incident immediately. According to Madison.com, city inspectors searched the area in early April to make sure that each balcony was safe enough for the block party. This particular balcony had been covered up with metal, so the inspectors were unable to see the wood rotting.
“It’s not the first time this has happened, and thank God we haven’t had serious injuries as a result of this,” Madison Common Council member Mike Verveer shared with Madison.com, “This could have been substantially more tragic. That’s why we take these porch inspections very seriously.”
Verveer mentioned that the first level balcony of this house had collapsed years ago, and that the city Building Inspection Division reviewed the recent incident. This years block party brought in over 10,000 people with officers handing out multiple citations for underage drinking.
Police Chief Shon Barnes noted that the two people sent to the hospital experienced minor injuries.