Miami Deck Collapse During NBA Finals Throws Heat Fan Patrons Into Biscayne Bay Water [Video]

A Miami deck collapse last night as the Miami Heat played the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, led to 24 people going to the hospital and two in critical condition.

The Miami deck collapse happened at 9:24 p.m. EST as patrons at the Shuckers Bar & Grille in North Bay Village plunged into the Biscayne Bay waters beneath them, reports the Associated Press.

According to Miami-Dade Fire Chief David Downey, 24 people were taken to area hospitals after suffering cuts and bruises from the collapse of the deck. One person suffered a fracture, a fire official said, and two people were in serious condition.

Authorities investigating the Miami deck collapse say 100 people were on the deck, which was about 8-10 feet above the water's edge before it collapsed.

Today, a small U.S. coast guard boat was just off the site of the Miami deck collapse.

The dock, which collapsed in a V-shape, was strewn with debris, ranging from lost cell phones and potted plants to straws and empty glasses, not to mention the wood damage from the collapsed deck.

Structural engineer, Morgan Villanueva, said after arriving to inspect the dock, "I'm trying to see why the supports collapsed."

He believes it's a main beam on the western edge of the dock that buckled, which created the collapse. 

Villanueva also said the Florida building codes call for a dock that can support 100 lbs per square foot. But Villanueva said you have to account for people jumping up and down during the NBA Finals game that was going on. 

A spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Fire rescue, Griselle Marino, said Shuckers passed a fire safety inspection in January and said it's largely up to the restaurant and bar managers to make sure they don't go over capacity. 

"We can't be policing every restaurant," she said.

A witness, 42-year-old Martin Torres of Los Angeles, said he was inside Shuckers when he heard what sounded like a loud explosion. 

After looking outside, he saw people staring up at him from the water.

"It was shock," said Torres. "People were yelling. Nobody knew. People came out all wet. They were crying. For a while, nobody knows what was going on."