2 hospitalized in Amityville deck collapse

Two contractors became trapped when a deck suddenly collapsed off the back of a Amityville home that was being raised after Superstorm Sandy. Neighbor Rich Finnegan says he was working outside of his

News 12 Staff

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Oct 3, 2016, 10:37 PM

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Updated 3,000 days ago

Two contractors became trapped when a deck suddenly collapsed off the back of a Amityville home that was being raised after Superstorm Sandy.

Neighbor Rich Finnegan says he was working outside of his own home around 1:30 p.m. when he heard a "loud thud," followed by cries for help.

Finnegan says he saw the back deck had collapsed off of a home on Desoto Road, across a canal. He realized the cries were coming from underneath the structure.

He grabbed his phone and jumped into the car with two more of his neighbors to get to the scene, as first responders arrived as well.

"The fire and rescue told us not to do anything because we were trying to lift one side and we were crushing the kid's head that was underneath -- it was two guys," says neighbor Mike Minchillo.

Minchillo says they helped first responders slowly lift the deck up to free the two contractors.

Both workers were rushed to the hospital. One sustained serious injuries while the other had minor injuries. The contractors haven't been identified.

Officials say the workers were involved in a project to raise the deck and the house itself, which was damaged by Superstorm Sandy back in 2012.

Police are investigating what caused the structure to collapse. Officials say OSHA has been notified.