NEW ALBANY, IN (WAVE) – “My life flashed before my eyes.” Those are the words of one of 24 people who fell more than one story to the ground after a deck collapsed in southern Indiana days before Christmas. The family involved is now suing the people who made and maintained the deck, and they want others to see what happened in hopes it won’t happen again.”Everybody was sitting down, and Brittany was about to take the picture, and boom.” That’s how 8-year-old Ainsley Wilt described what happened in an iPhone video moments after the collapse.

The WAVE 3 News Troubleshooter Department obtained security camera footage of the deck collapse from victims, who are now suing the deck builder and the homeowners association that ran the clubhouse where the incident happened. “Some people called this a freak accident,” said Jeremy Wilt, whose wife and daughter were on the deck when it collapsed. “A meteorite hitting your house would be a freak accident. This was going to fall one day.”That day turned out to be December 22, 2013 during a Christmas party hosted by Lisa Wilt for her extended family. As everyone gathered for a group picture, smiles turned to screams. “It just gave way,” Lisa said.  Read more: