By James W. Robinson
The Virginia Gazette
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — The number of people injured Friday night when a deck collapsed during a party near William and Mary has risen to almost 40.
Authorities initially said 28 people — primarily college-aged — were injured when a wood deck on the backside of 207 Matoaka Court collapsed. It happened about 10 p.m. Friday as William & Mary was celebrating its Homecoming weekend. The brick house is off Richmond Road less than a mile from the university.
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On Monday, the number of reported injured was 39, said city spokeswoman Nicole Trifone . Of those, 13 were taken by ambulance and 26 went on their own to Riverside Doctors’ Hospital and Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center . None of the injuries was reported to be life-threatening.
Trifone did not say what the nature of the injuries are and said Monday she didn’t know whether anyone remained hospitalized.
On Saturday, Trifone said the city’s Codes Compliance Division had been notified and would inspect the site. She said Monday that the codes division was still looking into the matter, but no update was yet available.
The house was built in 1961 and had a deck permit in 1989, according to city records. Records list the owner as Robert Cyphers, who owned Cyphers Plumbing Heating & Electric Inc. on 2nd Street before his death in 2025. The business referred The Virginia Gazette to One Door Realty, a property management company. No one returned a message left there Monday.
A man who answered the door at the house Monday declined to comment.
William & Mary said on Saturday the school was offering assistance to any students who needed it.
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