Balcony collapse at the University of Virginia graduation: what hath Jefferson wrought?

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to describe the emergency medical response to a disaster caused by the collapse of a balcony in Pavilion I on the Lawn of the University of Virginia during graduation. The emergency medical response to rescue of the injured was hindered by five major factors: (1) a metal linked chain blocked access of rescue vehicles, (2) inability to identify an emergency medical command officer, (3) failure to transfer injured patients with stable vital signs and secured to backboards to a triage area away from the scene of the accident, (4) ineffective crowd control, and (5) the failure to delay procession until completion of patient transport from the disaster site. Sixteen people were injured in the accident and one patient died. The cause of the accident was the absence of a redundant architectural support system for the balcony.

Comment in

• The houses that Ruth and Jefferson built. [J Emerg Med. 1999]