Michael Phelps, 22, a senior at Eastern Kentucky University was injured after a deck he was on collapsed. Phelps was at a party at a home in Richmond’s Castlewood subdivision when the deck on the back of the home collapsed with no warning. Several people were hurt when the deck went down and Phelps was rushed to UK Hospital after his face smashed into the concrete one story below. He suffered a fractured skull, jaw and kneecap. His eyes were bruised and swollen shut.
His mother, Kim Albright of Pulaski County, said “Really shocked at what I saw. My son laying there and his eyes are just black and blue and purple and his face is all swollen.” She called the incident a “freak accident” and said that he just happened to be there. She does, however, say “It’s a call you don’t want to get. I’ve got a distinctive ring tone on my phone that tells me it’s my son calling. So at 2:30 in the morning, I’m thinking, what’s wrong?”
After receiving that original terrifying phone call at 2:30 a.m., Albright is happy to have her son Michael home. She says that he still has a long road left to recovery, but “he’s gonna make it. He’s gonna be fine. He’s a tough guy.”
Investigators have not made an official announcement saying what caused the deck to fall.
We wish Mr. Phelps a speedy and full recovery.