Monday, August 15, 2011

Indiana stage collapse survivor speaks out about tragedy's immediate aftermath

A survivor of Saturday’s Indiana stage collapse has spoken out about the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, which has left five dead and 40 more seriously injured.

David Wood was at the front of the stage when it collapsed at the weekend (August 13). He told ABC News about the tragedy, describing it as “chaos”. He said:
Chaos – it was chaos. I’d just got done running and pushing my wife out of the way of the stage that was coming down behind us and there was this kind of instinct to crawl back in and help the ones that were screaming, that were in need.

Wood revealed that a host of other people in the crowd ran to help those injured. "It was amazing how many – after I climbed back in there – people [were] hollering 'I'm a doctor', 'I'm an RN [Registered Nurse]'."

The Indiana State Fair was set to feature country music act Sugarland as its main attraction, but ended suddenly at 9pm local time when gusts of winds which measured at over 60 miles per hour flattened the stage. The structure collapsed into the audience. You can watch a citizen shot video of the incident by scrolling down to the bottom and clicking.

The five dead have now been named as Christina Santiago, 29, Alina Bigjohny, 23,Tammy Vandam, 42, Glenn Goodrich, 49 and Nathan Byrd, 51. A memorial service for the victims is being held today (August 15).

Santiago’s partner Alisha Brennon is currently in a critical condition. Earlier this year, the pair had been among the first couples to obtain a civil union in Cook County, Illinois, after it became legal, reports the LA Times

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