INDIANAPOLIS — A strong, isolated blast of wind that came in advance of a line of thunderstorms knocked down the main stage at the Indiana State Fair at 8:49 pm Aug. 13. The collapse killed four people on site. A fifth victim, Nathan Byrd, 51, died later that night. A spotlight operator who fell with the rigging, Byrd had been among the 45 people hospitalized, many with serious injuries. Although other crew members were seen falling with the rigging, no additional deaths were reported.
Mid-America Sound, which uses products manufactured by James Thomas Engineering, supplied the temporary stage and roof structure that fell. “This is a devastating tragedy and we want to express our sympathy to the families of those who were killed and injured last night at the State Fair,” Mid-America owner Kerry Darrenkamp said in a statement issued Aug. 14. “We have already started an independent internal investigation to understand, to the best of our ability, what happened.”
Indiana’s OSHA is joining in that investigation, as are state fire marshals and an engineer from James Thomas Engineering’s U.S. office in Knoxville, TN. “Mid-America has been a vendor for at least 10, 15 years here,” noted Cindy Hoye, the fair’s executive director, during a Aug. 14 press conference. “They have done an extraordinary job of providing help with production of our free stages and also our grandstand. I have great confidence in them,” added Hoye, who was backstage at the time of the collapse.
The stage fell shortly after Sara Bareilles performed, and minutes before the evening’s headliners, the country duo Sugarland, were due to take the stage. The performers noted on their websites and via Twitter that they were uninjured.
Although fair officials had issued a warning of the severe weather due to hit the area about 9:15, and had already given details on where to evacuate in case the show had to be postponed, no evacuation order had been issued before the structure fell at 8:49. Some of the 10,000 concert attendees had started to leave to seek shelter before the wind blast, accompanied by dust and gravel, suddenly hit, but many others, including many of those in the VIP area dubbed the Sugar Pit, remained. Many of the casualties occurred near that area.
Indiana State Fair officials cancelled the fair’s events that had been scheduled for Aug. 14, saying that the fair would reopen Aug. 15, with a ceremony scheduled to commemorate the victims of the tragedy set for 9 am.
The Marion County Coroner’s office released the names of the victims after their families were notified. Along with Byrd, they included Alina Bigjohny, 23, from Fort Wayne, IN; Glenn Goodrich, 49, of Indianapolis; Christina Santiago, 29, from Chicago; and Tammy Vandam, 42, of Wanatah, IN.
The tragedy has spurred numerous discussions on how similar tragedies could be prevented, including topics ranging from structural and canopy design to debates over who has the authority to cancel events and whether storm evacuation procedures should be reviewed and changed.
A fund has also been established for Nathan Byrd’s family. Byrd, a single parent, is survived by two teens, age 13 and 15. A fund has been set up on their behalf by IATSE Local 30 to assist with funeral expenses and basic expenses for the teens.
Checks should be made out to IATSE Local 30/Disaster Relief Fund.
They can be sent to:
IATSE Local 30/Attn: Nathan Byrd Family
1407 East Riverside Drive
Indianapolis, In 46202-2037
