Stage Collapses at Indiana State Fair

Over the weekend, there was a terrible incident at the Indiana State Fair, which is one of the biggest state fairs in the country. During bad weather, a huge gust of wind blew over the rigging on the main stage just before the band Sugarland was set to perform, and the entire thing collapsed into the audience, killing five people and injuring dozens more.

Below is video of the incident, which may be upsetting, but shows how quickly it really happened:


There were terrible storms all through the state Saturday night: About two hours before this happened, Iain was out when a fierce storm kicked up so quickly that he had to pull over, because he couldn't see to drive from sheer force of the driving rain. Indiana State Fair officials were concerned about the weather, and warned the crowd of bad weather a few minutes before the collapse, but, naturally, told them they hoped the show would go on, too, which made a lot of people stay put in anticipation of the concert.

It's too soon to know exactly what happened, i.e. whether the collapse can really be attributed exclusively to the weather, to what Indiana State Police First Sgt. Dave Bursten called "a unique wind," which might have been a microburst. But certainly it's concerning, as architect Paul Harding pointed out to CBS News Chicago, that there did not appear to be any lateral supports in the structure.

The company responsible for the construction of the temporary structure, Mid-America Sound Corp., is being investigated by the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration, but Indiana State Fair Executive Director Cindy Hoye is already publicly defending them, and Governor Mitch Daniels has already concluded that the entire thing was a "freakish accident." One hopes I-OSHA is more interested in ascertaining some actual facts before making conclusive pronouncements.

My profound condolences to the friends, family, and colleagues of the people who died: Alina Bigjohny, 23, of Fort Wayne; Christina Santiago, 29, of Chicago; Tammy Vandam, 42, of Wanatah; and two Indianapolis residents: 49-year-old Glenn Goodrich and 51-year-old Nathan Byrd.

You can read more here about Santiago, who worked for Chicago's Howard Brown Health Center, to which many local Shakers have close ties.