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2 Students Fall From Roof During Party

The 19-year-olds, now in hospitals, may have been taking a selfie
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 4, 2020 8:29 AM CDT
College Students Hospitalized After Fall From Rooftop Deck
Stock photo   (Getty/Adam Calaitzis)

Two college students are in the hospital after falling four stories from the rooftop deck of a building during a party in Philadelphia, reportedly while taking a selfie. One of the 19-year-old women is in critical condition, ABC News reports, while the other has leg and ankle injuries. The Temple University students were lying unconscious in the alleyway of an off-campus apartment building when they were taken to two different hospitals about 2am Saturday, per WTXF. Police, who are investigating, say they're not sure how the falls happened.

The rooftop deck has a parapet wall and railings, per the management company, but a student who's been up there says he could see how an accident could happen. "If you're drinking and you run right into [the barrier], it's really easy to slip right off because it only comes to like a little halfway between your knee and hip." Last month, Temple suspended in-person classes because of the pandemic, but neighbors of the rowhouse said the parties have continued. One said students who party on the roofs "are still children at heart, and they have no fear." (One death reported to have happened during a selfie turned out to be more complicated.)

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