On Sunday, October 21, the first floor of the Woodlands apartment complex collapsed into the basement, injuring multiple people and causing mass shock and hysteria. Clemson University Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Pickens County Emergency Medical Services, and Med Shore Emergency Medical Services responded immediately and were responsible for the transport and triage of injured. The party, which was named "Krash Kourse," was scheduled to start at 10:00 p.m. but was pushed back to 11:00 p.m. due to homecoming traffic. According to a party guest who was interviewed by the Anderson Independent Mail, the party was still calm at midnight but started to kick off once more people arrived and greeted their friends. Everyone was having fun, jumping up and down to Chief Keef's "Faneto," when the floor abruptly caved in beneath them. The collapse sounded like a gunshot another party guest said. During the course of the night, seventeen 911 calls were placed, beginning at 12:28 a.m. Clemson P.D.'s incident report stated "hundreds of people leaving the area" and "severe lacerations and broken limbs." As of Thursday, October 25, two students were still being treated at Greenville Memorial Hospital, with one being discharged later that day. I recently caught up with one of the party attendants, Thomas Marshall, a junior English major, to get his perspective of the night's events. Below is the dialogue from our interview.
Interview with Thomas Marshall
Me: How did you get to the party?
Thomas: I went with two of my friends, my friend drove us there.
Me: Did you notice the room get more crowded as time went on?
Thomas: I did not notice that the room was very crowded, it seemed like any regular party.
Me: Describe the atmosphere right before the floor collapsed.
Thomas: It was just everyone having a great time, having fun, just like a regular party.
Me: What was your immediate reaction when the floor collapsed and your experience when you were in the basement?
Thomas: It was the scariest thing I have ever been a part of. Falling, looking around, and seeing people scream and cry for their lives was so scary. I am thankful to God for the Good Samaritan that pulled me out.
Me: Describe the aftermath of the collapse and what the scene was like as people realized what happened.
Thomas: We all went into action and I began to help people and search around for all my friends. First responders came and made sure people were okay, but still such a scary sight.
Me: Was your family worried when they found out what happened?
Thomas: Yes, they were so scared and had to wake up to it via the news. A very traumatic experience for them too, knowing their child was a part of the accident.
Later that week, Clemson Planning and Codes Administration, the builder of the clubhouse, and the Woodlands' property manager each performed their own inspections of the Woodlands' clubhouse. According to Todd Steadman (Director for the Planning and Codes Department for the City of Clemson), security footage is being reviewed to determine whether the occupancy for the clubhouse exceeded 135 people. Clemson's Kappa Alpha Psi chapter, Kappa Lambda, followed all protocols, contacted advisors immediately, and were the last to leave the scene according to one of the party attendants. Kappa Alpha Psi's national executive director, John F. Burrell, said that national and regional leadership are working with Clemson officials to provide support to event attendees.
As a result of the unexpected and nerve-wrenching event, Clemson's NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council) hosted an event the following Tuesday with CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) to process the events of early Sunday morning. The Gantt Multicultural Center and Clemson Black Alumni Council also stepped up to help students injured in the collapse. I, myself, could have been one of the people injured in the floor collapse had my friends and I not arrived very late to the party.
By the time we pulled up to the Woodlands' entrance, the police had already blocked off the entrance to the party and ambulances and the fire department had been called to the scene. As someone who has been to a party hosted at the Woodlands' clubhouse before, I was surprised to hear about this incident, especially considering that the Woodlands has been crowded multiple times before. The one key takeaway that everyone that I have come in contact with agrees on is that the best thing to do going forward is to have ground-level parties from now on. At least this way, the only possible threat to building structure would be an earthquake…in South Carolina.
