Neighbor describes chaotic scene after four injured in Jefferson City porch collapse

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Four people were hurt after a porch and staircase collapsed off a Jefferson City apartment on Friday.

Three people were taken to University Hospital in Columbia, according to a press release from Jefferson City.

Firefighters were called to the 1400 block of St. Mary’s Boulevard around 5:30 p.m. Friday for a report of a porch collapse with four people possibly injured, records say. Records obtained by ABC 17 News on Monday describe the call that came in that evening.

Dispatchers heard a load disturbance on the line and several people screaming and crying, records say. Someone could also be heard yelling "you have to lay down." The caller then explained that a stair case had collapsed and a child and two other people were hurt.

Tenant Amya Brisbin from the apartment below was sitting in her living room right next to the staircase when the collapse happened. She said she immediately rushed outside to investigate.

"All of a sudden I heard this loud crash right behind me, and it sounded like like the house had gotten struck by lightning or something," Brisbin said. "I run outside. I didn't put shoes on."

Brisbin said what she saw terrified her.

"There was four people on the ground, one of which was in the air conditioning unit," Brisbin said. "They scream, 'Get some help. Call 911.' I run to the top of the driveway and I'm screaming out to the whole neighborhood. A few the neighbors come over and at that point I eventually dial 911."

She said the most horrifying moment was seeing a 4-year-old girl lying on the ground.

"I remember sitting on the phone with 911 taking the scene in and her opening her mouth and it filled with blood and her screaming that her back hurt and trembling and her eyes fluttering and her mom sitting there saying, 'Stay awake. Stay awake. You can't go to sleep, honey.'"

After hearing the initial details, Jefferson City Fire Capt. Brian Leivian asked dispatch to upgrade the call to an extrication response.

Firefighters arrived on scene at 5:37 p.m. and found multiple individuals lying on the ground. They determined four people fell about 15 feet from an exterior porch and staircase that had separated from the second floor and collapsed. One child and three adults were involved. All were conscious and breathing, records say. None of the patients were trapped under the debris.

Records say patients included a 4-year-old girl, 27-year old woman, 19-year-old woman and another woman whose age is not specified. All four people were treated at the scene. Two adults and the child were taken to University Hospital.

"I was afraid someone was possibly gonna pass away," Brisbin said.

The scene was cleared at 6:23 p.m.

Cole County EMS Chief Eric Hoy described the injuries on Friday scene as “moderate." Hoy said that the cause of the collapse was not yet known.

Jefferson City Planning and Protective services code enforcement's Dave Helmick responded to the scene to evaluate. The agency will be working with the property owner for a long-term investigation, Hoy said.

Brisbin said the stairs had been an ongoing problem.

"We heard it [the stairs] all the time," Brisbin said. "The creaking, the constant shifting, like they didn't sound like stable stairs. They didn't look stable."

Brisbin said the tenants moved in two days before the collapse.

"They [law enforcement] called the tenants mom and she came and one of the first things she said whenever she got here was, "I told the landlord about the stairs. I told him about those stairs. He needed to fix them."

ABC 17 News reached out to the property owner and manager with DCJ Enterprises, LLC. No response was given as of Monday evening.