Five injured in Long Beach deck collapse

“I heard, ‘Help, help!’ and then I ran downstairs,” recounted 18-year-old Maureen Banegos, who lives two doors away and was one of the first people to run outside her apartment and dial 911. “I was just so shocked. At first I was just staring.”

Banegos was among the many neighbors who rushed to aid five people who were injured when a second-floor deck collapsed at a garden apartment building at 271 Shore Road on Monday night. The cement balcony, which had iron railings, was occupied by four adults, a 9-year-old and a family dog when it gave way at 8:30 p.m., falling onto an empty first-floor deck.

Long Beach Fire Chief Antonio Cuevas said that all five people were believed to be members of a family that had gathered on the balcony for a barbecue. “The balcony faces the ocean,” Cuevas said, “and everybody was just out on the porch, just enjoying the night.”

About 25 firefighters responded to the scene, where the dog was trapped beneath the rubble but, miraculously, no one was seriously injured. Four of the victims were transported to Nassau University Medical Center and one to South Nassau Communities Hospital with “minor bumps and bruises,” Cuevas said.

“When you’re up in the doorway looking down, it’s a pretty good drop,” he said, adding that some of the victims sustained minor back and neck injuries. “People were laying on the top of the rubble. One man was thrown and fell outward into the courtyard. We’re just happy everyone is alive.”

Firefighters found the dog beneath the rubble, and, Cuevas said, “The second we pulled the dog out, everyone started cheering.”

Building Commissioner Scott Kemins explained that the 3-foot by 8-foot deck fell at an angle, which most likely prevented more serious injuries. “Most of them were up and walking after it happened,” Kemins said. “One side failed, and it kind of came down at an angle and kind of slid them down — the front dropped and gave them a slide effect, so they didn’t necessarily free-fall.”

The apartment is one of about a dozen units in the U-shaped building at 261 and 271 Shore, near Monroe Boulevard.