A 12-year-old girl was injured when a chicken house collapsed on top of her, likely due to the weight of recent snow, north of Georgetown on Tuesday.
The incident occurred in the 17000 block of Maple Branch Road just after 3 p.m. Six people were working in multiple chicken houses on the property, including an adult man; a 20-year-old woman; a 17-year-old male; and three juvenile females, aged 14, 12 and 11, Delaware State Police said.
Upon entering one of the chicken houses, the 17-year-old spotted the food and water lines sagging and started to tell everyone to get out when the roof collapsed, according to police. Everyone escaped without injury except the two youngest girls.
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The 11-year-old was not trapped in the debris. She was transported by EMS to a hospital, where she was discharged after being evaluated.
The 12-year-old was pinned under the debris and the two males dug her out, police said. She was transported by helicopter to a hospital, where she is in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Delaware State Police Cpl. Heather Pepper.
Police are investigating the incident, but said in a news release that their preliminary findings indicate the roof collapsed due to the weight of snow on top of it.
The Ellendale area saw the most snow in the state on Monday at 14.5 inches, according to multiple weather services.
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