PARIS, Maine — A woman was injured Monday afternoon when the deck she was standing on collapsed beneath her, and she tumbled about 25 feet down a steep embankment toward Stony Brook.
Eight firefighters, along with EMTs and police officers used a metal rescue basket and ropes to pull Beverly Garland to safety before she was transported to Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway, Paris Fire Chief Brad Frost said.
Frost said it appeared a portion of the deck and railing on the home at 49 Buckfield Road simply gave way beneath Garland at about 5:14 p.m.
Paris Police Chief David Verrier said Garland, 64, lives at the home and the deck had rotted away from the building and it collapsed when she stepped out onto it.
Verrier said Garland was complaining of head and shoulder pain after the incident and was taken to the hospital by PACE Ambulance.
Verrier said he was not certain the extent of Garland’s injuries but he believed she was conscious and speaking with her rescuers.
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Tragic.
A preventable accident.
Clearly tougher building codes and more building inspectors
are called for.
Perhaps decks and porches should be inspected and issued permits
for use on a yearly basis.
It is a safety issue.
The woman almost was killed.
As a progressive society we cant sit back and wait any longer
for increased regulations.
Tragic? Yes. Preventable? Yes. But clearly some responsibility has to be borne by the individual involved for using an unsafe deck. This deck did not rot out overnight, and likely it’s been slowly going downhill from a structural standpoint for years. A little common sense and some much-needed carpentry maintenance would have gone a long way toward avoiding this occurrence. Even if the deck had been constructed of steel, it would have a useful lifetime.
Agreed. But of course nothing could be built without a common sense inspector AND steel construction inspector on site at all times.
Agreed. Every minute aspect of our lives needs to be regulated/policed. Just yesterday I poked my gums while brushing my teeth. Preventable had a dental inspector been present.
My insurance agent follows me into the shower. Strictly for safety reasons. I don’t know how I could manage without him.
If anyone should have have inspected that deck, her insurance company would be number one on that list.