12 injured in apartment floor collapse near Pennsylvania university

INDIANA, Pa. - A dozen people were injured in the collapse of a second-story floor inside an apartment complex near a western Pennsylvania university over the weekend, authorities said.

Seven people were taken to hospitals and five others were treated at the scene after the 11:50 p.m. Saturday collapse at Elm by Traverse Commons about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, state police told the Tribune-Review.

Trooper Cliff Greenfield said the victims had injuries ranging from serious to minor. He said responding troopers found one person lying in the road and others grouped outside the three-story building reported that a floor inside had collapsed.

"It is unknown exactly how many people were inside the apartment at the time of the floor collapse," he said. Those still inside were helped out through a broken first-floor window, which caused many of the injuries. Fire rescuers searched the building, which has been secured by the management.

Greenfield said its unclear how many of those involved were university students or guests visiting during what has been dubbed "IUPatty's weekend," a delayed St. Patrick's Day celebration.

University spokesperson Michelle Fryling said officials are offering help including short-term housing to those affected who are not students.

The off-campus festivities have taken place in Indiana for years and have sometimes caused problems. In 2014, police responded to dozens of calls amid crowded borough streets, including hundreds packing one street and getting into brawls that were filmed and later posted online. In 2017, two off-campus shootings were reported.