Another Outdoor Stage Collapses, This Time in Indiana

There’s nothing quite like an outdoor concert in the summertime, but this summer has proven to be especially dangerous for outdoor concerts. Last month, headlines were made when an outdoor stage in Ottawa collapsed during a Cheap Trick concert at Blues Fest; and just this past weekend an outdoor stage collapsed during the Sugarland concert at the Indiana State Fair. In both cases weather was to blame but tragically in the case of this past weekend, 5 people have died and dozens of others have been taken to hospital, some with critical injuries.

Organizers of the fair were very mindful of the weather and the problems it could cause with outdoor stages and so they were in touch with many authorities, including the National Weather Service, and the meteorologist they had onsite. Just before Sugaland was about to take the stage, security and concert organizers were advising, but not requiring, people to seek shelter as a storm was coming in about half an hour. Four minutes later, they had just decided to evacuate the area when a gust of 60-70 mph winds came and took the stage down.

Still, people are angry, especially with lives lost. AccuWeather meteorologist, Mike Smith, told CBS News that they had placed a warning 30 minutes before the winds came and that there should have been plenty of time to evacuate. Organizers also say that they sounded the sirens, but many people on-scene, as well as many fair workers, claim that they never heard the warning sounds of the sirens.

Four of the five people died on-scene: Alina Bigjohny, 23, of Fort Wayne; Christina Santiago, 29, of Chicago; Tammy Vandam, 42, of Wanatah; and 49-year-old Glenn Goodrich of Indianapolis. 51-year-old, Nathan Byrd, from Indianapolis, was working on the stage and was at the top of it when it fell. He died in hospital overnight.

A memorial service for the victims will be held at the fair grounds this morning after which, the grounds will be reopened.

Categorized in: Concerts