The stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair last weekend, which claimed the lives of five people and injured dozens of others, is the third incident of its kind this summer. Indiana governor Mitch Daniels called the tragedy a “fluke event” that no one could have prevented, the result of a 70 mph gust of wind that ripped through the grounds just before Sugarland was set to take the stage. However, six days earlier, the Flaming Lips avoided near-catastrophe when a sudden storm blew their 15-foot video screen from the back of the stage at Tulsa’s Brady Block Party. And about a month before that, a thunderstorm brought down the entire stage during Cheap Trick’s set at the Ottawa Bluesfest.
The Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration and state fire marshal are investigating the State Fair incident, as is the New York-based engineering company Thornton Tomasetti Inc., the same firm that investigated after the September 11 attacks in Manhattan. Until the groups share their findings, it’s too early to tell whether anyone will determine that mistakes were made the night of the collapse. But given the three weather-related accidents this summer, it’s no surprise that there are already calls for additional safety measures at outdoor venues.
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