Video: Several Injured in Apartment Balcony Collapse

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OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) — An early morning incident at a popular Oktibbeha County apartment complex near Mississippi State University has sent about16 victims to the hospital.

The Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s department and first responders arrived at the scene after midnight where a second and third story balcony had collapsed.

A three-story apartment unit at the Highland Garden Homes Plantation now stands with a major parts missing.

Oktibbeha County firefighters and law enforcement responded shortly before 12:30 Saturday morning to a structural collapse.

“Upon arrival, the personnel found the balcony had collapsed with approximately 16 people in various stages of injury and configuration,” said Oktibbeha County Fire Services Coordinator, Kirk Rosenhan.

The second and third story level balconies collapsed into the driveway of the home.

Those injured were on the second level balcony.

“Most of which are minor injuries, luckily, but there are several that are hospitalized,” said Rosenhan.

The heavy timber structure came all the way down from the third floor, which officials estimate to be around 20 to 25 feet high.

The balconies fell on top of several cars in the driveway, but first responders say it’s a good thing the cars were there to serve as support in the fall.

“Luckily, there was nobody under it when it came down, although a couple of people had to crawl out from under there. If the cars has not been here to provide some shelter, there would have been some real problems,” said Rosenhan.

Although it is too early to determine what caused the fall, officials say the incident could have been a lot worse.

“As indicated, we could have had some personnel under the third floor part that fell on top of the second and all of that would have been strictly on the ground had the cars not shielded everything,” said Rosenhan.

WCBI reached out to the Highland Garden Homes management officials, but they declined to comment.

One victim’s mother said her daughter was sent to the North Mississippi Medical Center to undergo surgery.