State Fair stage collapse blamed on construction

Improper stage construction and inadequate emergency plans are being blamed for the tragic stage collapse, which killed seven and injured dozens more, at the Indiana State Fair last August.

According to a report released by engineering firms Thornton Tomasetti and Witt Associates, the structure did not meet code before a gust of wind knocked it down, toppling it onto the crowd before a Sugarland concert at the fair.

“I’m going to be frank. These reports are really hard for me to read,” Fair Commission Chairman Andre Lacy said Thursday at a Fair Commission meeting.

The structure was only built to withstand winds of 20 mph to 40 mph, Thorton Tomasetti official Scott Nacheman said. The maximum wind speeds that night were 59 mph.

“Once gravity had taken over there was no way the structure was going to support itself, and it ultimately was going to fall,” Nacheman said to the Fair Comission on Thursday.

Poor emergency plans also exacerbated the problem the night of the incident.

Fair officials said that although they wanted to delay the concert after a severe thunderstorm warning was issued, Sugarland’s representatives pushed for the show to continue.

“It’s only rain,” one Sugarland representative allegedly said before the concert. “We can play.”

Fair officials made the call to evacuate, but the stage collapsed before they could begin moving people out of the area. Investigators said an “ambiguity of authority” led to continued miscommunication after the collapse.

— Charles Scudder