Georgia residents may be interested to learn of bar deck that collapsed in Miami during the NBA Finals in early June causing patrons to fall into the Biscayne Bay waters. Officials say approximately one hundred people were on the deck when it collapsed. Two dozen people were injured, two seriously.
Customers inside the bar described the scene as chaotic and reported hearing an explosion at the time of the collapse. Bystanders rushed to the rescue of victims in the water, pulling them to safety. After initial concerns that people might be trapped underneath the fallen deck, it was confirmed that everyone was accounted for.
According to first responders, most victims suffered minor injuries. Approximately fifty fire rescue units responded, and divers were deployed. North Bay Village Mayor Connie Leon Kreps expressed her gratitude that no one was killed in the collapse and said the city would undertake a full investigation into the collapse.
Georgia premises liability laws allow an individual who suffers injuries because of a person or an entity’s property to bring a claim against the property owner or occupant at the time of the injury. To recover in premises liability claims, a victim must show that the owner or occupant of a property was negligent and that this negligence was the cause of his or her injuries.
Property owners or occupants must maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition. If a victim can establish that a property owner or occupant knew or should have known of a dangerous property condition and failed to undertake corrective measures, he or she may be able to assert a legal claim.
Source: Fox Sports , “Florida sports bar deck collapses”, June 14, 2013