Floor Collapse

[James H. Bushart]

Woman hurt in her home as floor collapses

By Denise Hollinshed

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Saturday, Aug. 04 2007

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS — A Fairview Heights woman had to be rescued from a four-foot deep crawl space in her home by firefighters after a floor in a rear room collapsed underneath her.

There were 10 other people in the home at the time of the collapse, but they were not injured, fire officials said.

Jasmine Monroe, 23, was trapped when the floor collapsed Thursday night in a home in the 100 block of North Ruby Lane. She was listed in stable condition with pelvic injuries, according to Fairview Heights Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Green. She lived in the home with her mother, Carla Roberts, 51.

Green said the floor collapsed into the crawl space, and when firefighters
arrived Monroe was trapped inside. The people in the home at the time
unsuccessfully tried to get Monroe out of the hole, he said. Police had to get everyone out of the house except one firefighter, who tried to calm Monroe until the building could be stabilized.

"She was conscious and she was in pain," Green said. "She was moaning."

Green said ceramic molds were surrounding the hole. Apparently, a previous
owner of the house had run a ceramic business. He said the home had been
recently bought at auction.

"I didn't want all of these things to come tumbling down on the lady in the
hole or to have anybody trapped in there besides her," he said.

He said the St. Clair Special Services Association Collapse Team arrived and
stabilized the area.

Monroe was removed from the hole and taken by ambulance two blocks away to a field, where helicopter picked her up for transport to a St. Louis hospital.

Green said it is uncertain why the floor collapsed and said a structural
engineer will evaluate the site to determine the cause. On Friday, yellow tape was wrapped around the two-story frame home.

"As of right now, it's unsafe for habitation until structural people can look
at it," he said.

The family is being assisted with living arrangements by the American Red
Cross.

dhollinshed@post-dispatch.com | 618-624-2659