Video: Survivor of Collapsed Balcony Incident in Oktibbeha County Speaks

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s something you expect to see in the movies or on television but certainly not in everyday life. A group of friends talking on a balcony, when suddenly the balcony collapses, sending over a dozen people tumbling to the ground. Now one of the survivors of the incident is talking about the terrifying experience.

It started out like any other Friday night. Friends gathered at a house party in Oktibbeha County. Then the unthinkable happened.

“We were at a little get-together. There were probably about 10 to12, 13 people on the porch and we were just sitting around talking. The next thing you know, it starts cracking and we just hit the ground. It was probably the scariest thing of my life,” says Mason McBrayer of Columbus.

McBrayer says chaos soon broke. It was like a scene from a Hollywood movie.

“Everybody starts running over, started picking up the wood up off us, just screaming and hollering, call 9-1-1, blood everywhere. It was crazy,” says McBrayer.

About 16 people were injured when the balcony collapsed. Fortunately, none were life-threatening.

“I rode in the ambulance. I got out of the hospital about 5 o’clock Saturday morning. I had a deep contusion to my knee and a busted lip. That was about it for me,” says McBrayer.

McBrayer says he doesn’t know who will be held responsible for the accident and he hasn’t hired a lawyer. However, he would like someone to cover his medical expenses.

Oktibbeha County Fire Department officials don’t believe the balcony was over crowded or over its weight limit. The Sheriff’s Department also says they found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.