NORTH BAY VILLAGE, Fla. – The Grentner family, who owns the South Florida restaurant whose deck collapsed earlier this week, has issued a written statement about the incident.
Local 10's Baron James knocked on Charles G. Grentner's door, looking for answers or at least a comment about the deck collapse at his Shuckers Barb & Grill in North Bay Village.
However, no one answered at Grentner's Miami Beach home Saturday afternoon.
In a published written statement, the Grentner family said:
"The family's thoughts and best wishes are with their customers and employees, the emergency workers and all their families. Their focus is on insuring that the injured are given the care they need and in assisting the government agencies investigating the event."
The 40-year-old 120-by-30 foot wooden deck at Shuckers collapsed into a V-shape Thursday night, as an estimated 100 people started jumping and cheering while watching the Miami Heat game on TV.
RELATED: Former manager recalls problems with deck
Paramedics treated 24 people on the scene for injuries like scrapes, bumps and bruises to their heads, cuts and at least one person suffered a bone fracture.
Another 15 were rushed to area hospitals, including Flavia Ellemberger, who ended up in a neck brace, with stitches on her head, and an injured hand when her husband and 6-year-old son ended up in the water, 4-feet deep in Biscayne Bay.
"We fall into the water, and I'd been hit by tables and everything fell on top of us," said Ellemberger.
LISTEN: 911 calls (Some graphic language): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
All had been discharged but one by Friday night. Most of the people were just panicked and in sheer shock after being caught up in all the collapse chaos.
RELATED: Victims recall deck collapse
Now, some victims, including Selina Mills, have already contacted personal injury lawyers.
"I was afraid I was going to die," said Mills. "I am so sore all over because I had tables and stuff falling on me, so I was scared."
North Bay Village police investigators so far have ruled out criminal activity and overcrowding as the cause of the collapse.
RELATED: What caused deck to collapse into bay?
"We want to investigate what happened in this accident," said investigators. "It's obvious there was some sort of structural incident that occurred. We were out earlier on Marine Patrol vessels to get a closer look with the engineers."
For longtime Shuckers patrons and many other people, who stopped by Saturday to snap pictures of the popular landmark bar and grill's damaged deck and debris, many still cannot believe this really happened.
"It's a landmark that I used to drink in regularly and enjoy, and it's kind of sad to see," said Scott Sachs. "This was the place to be. I hope they rebuild it and do it properly."
"We're fans of Shuckers," said David Waring. "We come here all the time and we possibly could have been here Thursday for the game. It's tragic."