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Sunset Grille Deck Collapses After Customers Rush to Choking Victim's Aid

Nobody Hurt In Collapse; Choking Victim’s Condition Not Known

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By Douglas  Carman | Highlands Today

Published: June 15, 2008

SEBRING — What started as a choking turned into a major scare for customers at The Sunset Grille Saturday evening as too many good Samaritans rushed the balcony and caused it to partially collapse.

Nobody was injured by the collapse of the deck, said Tom Dunn, the deputy chief of the Sebring Fire Department. The choking victim was driven to Highlands Regional Medical Center, but her name and condition were not available Sunday afternoon.

The choking and deck collapse were reported at 7:46 p.m. Saturday.

Sunset Grille Manager Mark Biermann said that 30 customers ran onto the back deck to help the woman out when they noticed she was choking.

"We noticed that the deck started sinking a little bit," Biermann said. He told the patrons to stop rushing to the deck and to get off of it, but he said nobody listened.

As the crowd grew to about 40 on the back deck, the northern side sank down.

Dunn described the scene as "startling" for the customers.

That back deck was roped off Sunday afternoon as men were busy repairing the pilings underneath. A few customers were dining on the deck touching the building.

Biermann said the back deck was an add-on that was installed by previous owners. The current owners have had the Sunset Grille for about 3.5 years.

The Sunset Grille scheduled a set of band performances on the deck for the Fourth of July. Biermann said the deck should be fixed by Sunday evening.

"We want to make sure the deck is completely safe," he said.

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