1 dead after parking deck at NCarolina mall collapses; man missing in Florida garage collapse

A portion of parking deck at a busy shopping mall collapsed Thursday, and a motorist who may have triggered the accident by crashing into the structure died, police said.

The woman's car crashed into the edge of the top level of the parking deck at SouthPark Mall, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police spokeswoman Julie Hill said.

A small portion of the three-tier deck then collapsed, and the driver's car fell through the opening, Hill said.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, said Mecklenburg EMS Agency spokesman Eric Morrison.

Two cars under the collapsed concrete were destroyed, Charlotte Fire Department Capt. Rob Brisley said, but authorities said there were no other injuries.

Meanwhile, a parking garage under construction in Jacksonville, Florida, partially collapsed Thursday, injuring about two dozen people, officials said.

One person was missing, but police did not know whether the worker was trapped or had escaped. Crews with dogs were looking through the rubble.

At least 21 people were taken to hospitals, which reported three in fair condition, two in good condition and the rest stable or released.

The collapse occurred as workers were pouring concrete on the sixth floor of the garage for a condominium complex across the street from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.

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Associated Press writer Ron Word in Jacksonville, Florida, contributed to this report.