Stage collapses at Indiana State Fair

gldstwmn · #1 08-13-2011, 09:35 PM

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/13...air/?hpt=hp_t1

A stage at the Indiana State Fair collapsed Saturday. At least a dozen were hurt, according to the Indianapolis Star newspaper.

The country music duo Sugarland, who was slated to appear on stage before it collapsed, tweeted that they were okay Saturday night: "We are all right. We are praying for our fans, and the people of Indianapolis. We hope you'll join us. They need your strength."

A witness told CNN that inclement weather played a part in the incident.

"A big gust of wind came through. You could see a lot of people panicking. All the scaffolding and speakers - all that came crashing down - and the whole stand just collapsed," Aaron Richmann said.

Video from CNN affiliate WTHR showed flashing lights and emergency vehicles on the scene.

snicksfan85 · #2 08-13-2011, 10:24 PM

That's horrible. I watched the video of it collapsing. It absolutely makes you thank a higher power that nothing happened like this at Sturgis.

Here's an article with some more information:

http://www.indystar.com/article/2011...stage-collapse

desertangel · #3 08-13-2011, 11:29 PM

Dear Outdoor Concert Stage Equipment People:

Is there some way you folks could "wind test" the equipment you're using? We music fans are getting quite fed up with people getting killed and injured by your stuff when it blows over in the wind and falls on them. We would greatly appreciate it. We don't want to have to resort to staying home and watching "webcasts" of our favorite band playing live on a sound stage or something. It wouldn't be as enjoyable for us and you might end up going out of business.

Thank you,

A concerned outdoor concert fan.

SuperFleetwood · #4 08-13-2011, 11:31 PM

Well Said!!! they people are stupid for not using the proper tools!

Quote:

Originally Posted by desertangel

Dear Outdoor Concert Stage Equipment People:

Is there some way you folks could "wind test" the equipment you're using? We music fans are getting quite fed up with people getting killed and injured by your stuff when it blows over in the wind and falls on them. We would greatly appreciate it. We don't want to have to resort to staying home and watching "webcasts" of our favorite band playing live on a sound stage or something. It wouldn't be as enjoyable for us and you might end up going out of business.

Thank you,

A concerned outdoor concert fan.

gldstwmn · #5 08-13-2011, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by desertangel

Dear Outdoor Concert Stage Equipment People:

Is there some way you folks could "wind test" the equipment you're using? We music fans are getting quite fed up with people getting killed and injured by your stuff when it blows over in the wind and falls on them. We would greatly appreciate it. We don't want to have to resort to staying home and watching "webcasts" of our favorite band playing live on a sound stage or something. It wouldn't be as enjoyable for us and you might end up going out of business.

Thank you,

A concerned outdoor concert fan.

Something tells me their insurance is soon going to require it.

SuperFleetwood · #6 08-13-2011, 11:34 PM

talking about expensive!

Quote:

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

Something tells me their insurance is soon going to require it.

SuperFleetwood · #7 08-13-2011, 11:38 PM

heres a artical on it http://news.yahoo.com/authorities-3-...030744842.html

vivfox · #8 08-14-2011, 07:11 AM

Here's a photo:

This could have been the stage at Sturgis when Stevie was performing. Remember when the camera panned up to show the lighting rig swaying in the nighttime wind?

ButterCookie · #9 08-14-2011, 07:27 AM

How awful

It makes you sit back and think, doesn't it. I can only thank the powers that be that the only outdoor concert I've been to was on a scorchingly hot day without any wind.

Macfanforever · #10 08-14-2011, 10:45 AM

Wow.I was thinking about Jones Beach with all the strange weather they get on the water.Wind tunnel like winds.Cold and hot like a mother.Plus high tides inside the venue.Thats to bad that happend.I'm glad Sugarland is ok.Pray for the people that did get hurt.

Bryan · #11 08-14-2011, 11:25 AM

5 people are dead and lots injured ..Sugarland are the least of people's worries...if you're gonna pray do it for the families of those who died and let's hope there isn't news of more deaths from this truly awful and totally preventable stage collapse. Shame on the organizers/promoters who went ahead with it despite the strong winds & warnings.

GypsySorcerer · #12 08-14-2011, 12:47 PM

That video is really frightening.

Very sad. Those organizers should be fired.

desertangel · #13 08-14-2011, 02:33 PM

Yea that kind of chit is reprehensible. It's the kind of thing that happens in less industrialized nations, like Peru and Mexico City... not the "richest nation in the world." I don't know how old that stage set up is, but anything newer than 15 years should have been designed and modeled using computer applications that tell you how much of what you need and where to put it for the particular area you're building for. It's what they use to construct buildings, etc., so the same needs to apply to outdoor venues. And if it's like the bridges across the U.S., where they're outdated (or weather patterns have changed) and they're a safety hazard, then for God's sake upgrade/retro fit the mothers. This reeks of cheap, greedy and irresponsible. Ticket prices have gone sky high in recent years, can't they at least afford to give the fans a SAFE place to enjoy the music?! I'm just wondering how many more times this sort of thing is going to happen before something is done about it. How many lives need to be lost, how many injuries. If I were president, I would shut down every single venue, cancel every single show and put a huge team of inspectors on it to make recommendations - the show does NOT go on until everything passes reinspection.

{{{steps off of soapbox}}}

Macfanforever · #14 08-14-2011, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan

5 people are dead and lots injured ..Sugarland are the least of people's worries...if you're gonna pray do it for the families of those who died and let's hope there isn't news of more deaths from this truly awful and totally preventable stage collapse. Shame on the organizers/promoters who went ahead with it despite the strong winds & warnings.

Yes I agree .How sad .I just got the news about those 5.

Quote:

Originally Posted by desertangel

Yea that kind of chit is reprehensible. It's the kind of thing that happens in less industrialized nations, like Peru and Mexico City... not the "richest nation in the world." I don't know how old that stage set up is, but anything newer than 15 years should have been designed and modeled using computer applications that tell you how much of what you need and where to put it for the particular area you're building for. It's what they use to construct buildings, etc., so the same needs to apply to outdoor venues. And if it's like the bridges across the U.S., where they're outdated (or weather patterns have changed) and they're a safety hazard, then for God's sake upgrade/retro fit the mothers. This reeks of cheap, greedy and irresponsible. Ticket prices have gone sky high in recent years, can't they at least afford to give the fans a SAFE place to enjoy the music?! I'm just wondering how many more times this sort of thing is going to happen before something is done about it. How many lives need to be lost, how many injuries. If I were president, I would shut down every single venue, cancel every single show and put a huge team of inspectors on it to make recommendations - the show does NOT go on until everything passes reinspection.

{{{steps off of soapbox}}}

A good way of putting it..They should get shut down and get safety check.Also Every year that goes by .somebody gets k1lled at those theme parks.
The problem is they hire cheap labor and sometime the owners and the organizers slip some bread into the officals pocket and they run off.They just want to collect the infilated ticket money.They dont care about the fans until the lawyers come into the picture.Which they will be here.

sara1998 · #15 08-15-2011, 12:40 AM

My cousin works on that "cheap labor" crew. He's been with the same union, with the same guys, for years. They take their jobs very seriously. They have families to go home to at night. They know the fans do too. When one of their own died in this accident, it hurt them deeply. I talked to my cousin today, and he is in bad shape over losing his friend. This was a huge gust of wind that was well ahead of this storm. I was in the middle of it. The winds were awful. If anything, the organizers should have warned earlier, but they thought they still had a little time before the storm hit. All you can do is pray for the victims and families. We still have some in area hospitals in very critical condition. Pray for the riggers and crew too. I know they feel bad enough about it.