A birthday party celebration for out-of-town visitors at a Florida restaurant took an unexpected turn when a portion of the deck they were standing on suddenly gave way, leaving two people with minor injuries.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue units responded. The people who went into the water were visitors from Virginia who were celebrating a 50th birthday party. One guest said they were all taking in the view of the Intracoastal when part of the restaurant’s patio area suddenly collapsed.
“We were here all afternoon, we had so much fun. We just happened to be in the wrong place and standing there, and it gave way,” she said. “I’ve never been in a situation like that, and it just collapsed. It broke, and three of us jumped off,” she said. Initially, two of the guests tumbled into the water and were unable to get out. Another guest dove into the water to help. The guest of honor told firefighters that the "man saved two people. He saved my best friend and her husband.” He helped the couple swim under the dock to a nearby boat rather than try to climb up the wooden pilings, leaving himself cut and bruised in the process. Pictures taken by FLFR firefighters show the section of the wooden deck that collapsed.