A Summerhill parking deck used by customers to shop at a recently opened grocery store partially collapsed Saturday morning.
The collapse of the top floor of the Summerhill Station parking deck, which is anchored by a Publix, located on Hank Aaron Drive created a giant hole around 7 a.m. According to Branch Properties, which owns the retail complex, an “unauthorized person unaffiliated with ownership drove a crane truck onto the upper level of the deck past the weight-limit warning signs.”
The driver of the truck was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, police said. No other injuries were reported.
The incident caused a water line to rupture and a diesel leak, the fire department said. Firefighters shut off the water valves and prevented the diesel from running into the storm drains.
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Branch Properties said the deck was “constructed to the highest levels of safety, and repairs will begin soon so as not to disrupt shoppers further.” A timeline for repairs was not provided.
Summerhill Station, which is situated in a former parking lot used by Atlanta Braves fans for decades, opened in June. The Publix is a critical food option in the neighborhood that has been rapidly transforming from Turner Field into a mixed-use district.
The 50,000-square-foot grocery store will be joined by 35,000 square feet of ancillary restaurants and retail, including a Piedmont Urgent Care by WellStreet that opened in July.
About the Author
