A 4-year-old girl was seriously injured when a porch collapsed in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood Monday, and her neighbor is being credited with rescuing the young girl from the rubble.
Officials said the roof of the porch in the 1600 block of East 74th Place came crashing to the ground just before 6 p.m.
A child was injured in the collapse and taken to University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital in serious condition, according to authorities. An adult was also hurt but refused medical treatment at the scene.
Witnesses say the collapse could have been much worse, however.
"I was in the house and I heard a boom," said Dwania Jackson, whose son was playing with his 4-year-old neighbor on the porch at the time of the collapse.
"It was loud and it was terrifying to see," Jackson said. "I was crying, the mama was crying... We knew the [4-year-old girl] was hurt because there were too many bricks."
Residents on the block immediately rushed to help.
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"We thought she was dead because she wasn't saying nothing at first," said witness Jalen Wesley, who immediately jumped into action. "That made us panic even more and rush even more to get her out of there."
Neighbors say the facade of the home had been faltering for months.
Building inspectors were at the scene Monday night. They planned to assess the damage and determine if the homeowners could remain in the residence until repairs are made.
