Dead at Indianapolis State Fair as Sugarland Stage Collapses

Sugarland Stage Collapses

There was tragic news out of Indianapolis Indiana Saturday night.

The concert stage used by Sugarland collapsed at the Indiana State Fair Grounds as 70 mph winds whipped through the area.

No act was performing at the time of the collapse but 4 people were killed and at least 40 people were taken to local hospitals and 150 people were treated at a triage area set up at the fairgrounds.

About 12,000 fans were in attendance for the show.

 The storm blew in and the stage rigging started to sway. You could see it was going to collapse but there was nothing anybody could do. Then it just fell to the ground – almost like it was slow motion.”
You can hear the panic in the voices of the people on the video as the structure begins to fall.

Sugarland took to twitter to say,

“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.”

Lead singer of Sugarland Sara Bareilles later tweeted,

“I'm speechless and feel so helpless. Please send love and prayers to Indianapolis tonight. My heart aches for the lives lost.”

Fellow musician Keith Urban wrote,

"I just saw the footage from Indiana State Fair tonight on YouTube and am absolutely in shock. We send our prayers and thoughts to each and every one of you who were there and your families and loved ones as well. God bless you all."

No word yet if organizers will cancel the Fair or any of the upcoming shows scheduled for next week.

Acts scheduled to appear during the week of August 15th include Janet Jackson, Train, Maroon 5, and Lady Antebellum.

People work to remove injured fans after stage collapse

So far there has not been any official word from these artists or their representatives about cancellations but some are expected to bow out in respect for the dead and injured.

The stage area will also be the subject of an investigation and may not be usable for several weeks as investigators comb the area looking for clues as to what caused the stage to collapse.

Death toll reaches 5 in Indiana State Fair Sugarland stage collapse

The names of the five people who died in the accident were reported at a press conference this morning.

The four who died at the scene are Tammy Vandam, 42, Wanatah, Ind.; Glenn Goodrich, 49, Indianapolis; Alina Bigjohny, 23 Fort Wayne; Christina Santiago, 29, Chicago. Nathan Byrd, 51, Indianapolis, died at Methodist Hospital earlier today.

There's still a possibility of further fatalities, State Police 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten said.

In the conference that began at about 10 a.m. at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, Gov. Mitch Daniels was joined by State Fair Director Cindy Hoye and Bursten.

Gov. Daniels was choked up as he began talking about emergency response.

"What you saw last night was a display of best qualities, both public and private, of Hoosiers," Daniels said.

Bursten updated previous injury numbers that 45 people were taken to the hospital last night. He said the early indication is it was an "isolated significant wind gust" and the midway and other areas on the ground weren't damaged as severely.

Daniels said he stands by the State Fair's preparedness measures, citing that this was an unexpected occurrence -- the storm was expected at 9:15, but arrived 30 minutes earlier.

Hoye said the fair will reopen at 8 a.m. Monday with a memorial service at 9 a.m. on the Free Stage.

Hoye said the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration, IOSHA, is investigating the structure of the stage.

UPDATE: 8:06 a.m.

Several area hospitals this morning were still treating patients who were injured by collapsed stage rigging at Saturday's Indiana State Fair Grandstand concert.

Among the five killed and about 40 who were rushed to hospitals after the 8:44 p.m. collapse were fans and stage crew members. Still unclear this morning was the extent of the injuries or the patients' conditions, but at least a handful are reportedly in critical condition or intensive care units. Three children were still being treated at Riley Hospital for Children.

Family members and friends of the injured are waiting to hear good news, but the Indiana State Police has said more deaths were possible. Outside Methodist Hospital at 6:30 a.m., a stage crew member who worked at Saturday's Sugarland concert said his worst fears had just been confirmed -- his friend, another crew member from Indianapolis, was declared dead just before dawn, he said.

The report of another fatality has not yet been confirmed by authorities, and the stage crew member declined to be interviewed. He did say his friend had been working up in the rigging when the collapse happened, and was crushed. Both are members of Local 30 of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees.

Thirteen patients were brought to Methodist following the collapse. IU Health officials did not release patients' conditions this morning, but a statement issued at 6 a.m. said 12 patients were still being treated. Wishard Memorial Hospital, which also received a stead stream of ambulance traffic last night, said it took in 18 patients, all having non-life-threatening injuries.

Methodist reported another 10 "walk-in" patients, several of whom were still hospitalized. According to WTHR (Channel 13), The Star's newsgathering partner, walk-ins were also reported by Community East Hospital and Wishard.

WTHR reported that a 17-year-old boy at Methodist has a broken back and his mother says he may never walk again.

All three patients taken to Riley following the collapse were still hospitalized this morning, IU Health said.

At Methodist, according to the IU Health statement, about 60 nurses and doctors were on hand last night -- double the 25 to 30 typically working on a Saturday night.

3 Dead in Indiana Fair Stage Collapse

About two dozen people were reported wounded in the incident at the fairgrounds in Indianapolis. Strong winds reasoned the stage rigging for the outdoor concert to collapse, trapping and injuring concert-goers shortly before 9 p.m.
No one was performing at the time. The opening proceed had finished, and the crowd was waiting for Sugarland to take the stage.
Indiana State Police did not instantly return phone messages to The Associated Press to remark on the deaths. But the Indianapolis Star and WTHR reported that three people died, based on information released by authorities. Details on the conditions of those wounded were not immediately known.
Emergency crews were called to the sight, and workers were setting up a command center to tend to those who were wronged.
The collapse came as thousands of concert-goers were being evacuated from the fairground grandstand to a close by coliseum when a wind gust brought down the stage rigging. The rigging fell onto a region where some fans were seated.

Sugarland's Stage Collapses At The Indiana State Fair

 

A general view of the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair on August 13, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The stage fell just before country duo Sugarland were scheduled to perform, killing at least four people and injuring as many as 40 more.

(August 12, 2011 - Photo by Joey Foley/Getty Images North America)

Sugarland Stage Collapse Pictures (Tragedy)

It was a somber scene at the Indiana State Fair Saturday night after 5 people were killed and 40 injured when the Sugarland concert stage collapsed just before the country duo was set to perform.

High winds reportedly caused the collapse just after opener Sara Bareilles took the stage. A reporter in Wane, Indiana wrote: "The wind just picked up and the stage just caught and the roof just caught and it went up like a sail and then it crashed forward into the people standing in the front. There were people trapped underneath and everyone was running and screaming. They were asking any medics or nurses not to leave.
Sugarland tweeted condolences Saturday night about the horrible accident: "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."

Bareilles also took to Twitter to offer her support: "I'm speechless and feel so helpless. Please send love and prayers to Indianapolis tonight. My heart aches for the lives lost."

Few details have been released about the condition of the 40 injured fans, though it is believed some are still in critical condition. Three children are being treated at the Riley Hospital for Children.

taylor armstrong

Indiana stage collapse blamed on 'fluke' wind

The wind gust that toppled a stage at the Indiana State Fair Saturday night, killing five and injuring 45 others as they were waiting for the country band Sugarland to perform, was a "fluke" that no one could have anticipated, officials said Sunday.
The wind was far stronger than that in other areas of the fairgrounds, said Dan McCarthy, chief meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Indiana. He estimated the gust at 60 to 70 mph.
Some witnesses have said that while a storm was expected, rain hadn't begun to fall when the wind sent the stage rigging falling into the crowd of terrified fans.
No one was performing at the time, witnesses said. The opening act had finished, and the crowd was waiting for Sugarland to take the stage.
Indiana State Police spokesman David Bursten said a "strong gust of wind upset the rigging above the stage at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and caused a collapse of the structure over the stage."
Four people died when the collapse happened and the fifth person died overnight at a hospital, Bursten said.
The Marion County Coroner's office identified the victims as 23-year-old Alina Bigjohny of Fort Wayne, 29-year-old Christina Santiago of Chicago, and three Indianapolis residents: 42-year-old Tammy Vandam, 49-year-old Glenn Goodrich and 51-year-old Nathan Byrd. It was Byrd who died overnight.
Bursten said the injuries ranged from "very serious to cuts and scrapes."
Workers set up a command centre to tend to those who were hurt.
The collapse came as some fans were leaving to seek shelter. An evacuation had not yet been ordered. The rigging for the stage fell onto the track where some people were seated.
"It was like it was in slow motion," concertgoer Amy Weathers told the newspaper. "You couldn't believe it was actually happening."
Those who were injured were being moved to a tunnel below the stage, the Star reported.
Associated Press photographer Darron Cummings was in the audience attending the concert as a fan shortly before the collapse. He said an announcer gave the crowd instructions on how to evacuate the area if the weather worsened, but said they hoped to get Sugarland on stage soon.
Cummings said he and his friends went ahead and sought shelter in a nearby barn after seeing the weather radar.
"Then we heard screams. We heard people just come running," Cummings told the AP.
Witnesses told WTHR that some of the injured were in a VIP section in front of the stage known as the "Sugar Pit." The witnesses said a wall of dirt, dust, rain and wind came up the main thoroughfare of the fairgrounds just before the collapse.
"Panic kicked in when they seen the dust bowl coming in from the midway," concertgoer Darryl Cox told WTHR.
Another person at the concert, Emily Davis, told WTHR that there was lightning and the sky turned dark but it wasn't raining when the wind suddenly toppled the rigging.

Taylor Armstrong