Twelve hours after the deck collapse at Shuckers Bar & Grill in North Bay Village, Rebecca Diaz went back to see what the scene looked like during the day.
"I never thought the deck would burst apart like it did," Rebecca Diaz said.
Diaz was was among more than 100 others on the deck,who were eating, drinking, having a good time taking in Game 4 of the Heat-Spurs NBA Finals, when suddenly and without warning, the deck plummeted 8 to 10 feet.
Click here for in-depth coverage of the deck collapse.
"Suddenly it was a loud crack and it all came down. Everyone went down like the Titanic and I think the lights went out, because it got dark and I couldn't get my foot out and they helped me. They lifted the the deck back to get my foot out," she said.
Diaz was treated for a sprained ankle. Others suffered injuries ranging from cuts, scrapes, and what appeared to be a broken knee. Twenty-four people were taken to area hospitals, with two of them in serious condition.
The rescue took 15 minutes with the help of people like Eric Williams, who jumped into the unknown to help those who were still trapped in the water.
"We just saw a deck collapse. We didn't know how deep it was or what have you. But it was pretty amazing once you saw people in the water. We started throwing chairs and stuff," said Williams.
Williams and his 18-year-old son knew that wasn't enough so they both jumped into the water, putting themselves at risk trying to find victims who may be trapped underwater.
"We did the best we could to just reach down and feel it was brick under there.It wasn't very deep as the chief said, so we're actually able to touch the bottom, found a couple of purses, but prayerfully, did not find, for the area we're searching find no human ... no humans hurt," he said.
Fifteen minutes later everyone was out and medics took over in the parking lot, separating the injured by severity.
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Meanwhile, Annette Sanchez and Marie Torres put themselves in harm's way to what they could to help people trapped in the collapse deck. The pair pushed their way against the panicked crowd, to help people in the water.
"I saw one guy who knee was twice as big as the other one. A girl had a gash on her face. She was bleeding," said Torres.
Sanchez was taken to the hospital where she was treated and released. Both say they would it again.
"I love helping in any way I can," said Sanchez.
