Thursday, April 23, 2015

Westfield High School Stage Collapse


About a dozen Westfield High School students were injured during tonight's "American Pie" performance when the stage collapsed during the final act of the show. Local news reports indicate that at least one of the injured student's condition was listed as critical. An amateur video taken by Sara Camden of the collapse and uploaded to YouTube captures the moment of the collapse.
Photo taken by Leann Meyer following the collapse

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

My prayers are with the children and their families, latest news reports every will make a normal recovery.

Anonymous said...

Can we give them Ozdemir's Indy Eleven?

Westfield has the best soccer field in Indiana. Let them pay for Ozdemir's Indy Eleven! (and a new stage at the high school)

Sir Hailstone said...

Glad no one was serious hurt other than bumps, scrapes and a couple sprains. It appears some parents took their kids for X-rays "just to make sure".

I will admit Mayor Cook wasn't on TV being his usual "all about me" self, and the school corp's insurance should cover the damages and likely medical bills of the student performers so we won't be on the hook for yet another school bond.

Now I wonder if Ken Nunn, Vaughn Wamsley, Mark Ladendorf, Tom Blackburn, Ray Green and others are going to blanket this area with advertisements trying to generate business for legal action against the school corp?

Gary R. Welsh said...

I wouldn't be surprised if some PI attorneys had representatives at the hospitals last night handing out their business cards, Mike. I know an attorney over in Terre Haute who used to do that, which I found quite tasteless.

c. roger csee said...

That was not the stage. It was a cover for the orchestra pit, and likely was not made to hold the weight of a bunch of people jumping up and down on it.

Anonymous said...

...excuse me Performing Arts Department, but it seems to me that having a group of people jumping on the pit orchestra platform is not permitted. No surprise that it broke if it were used improperly. Think about how it has to be designed.

I wonder if there are any physics teachers in that district who could explain to their Performing Arts Department the problem with having the weight of several people jumping on the orchestra pit lift.

It is desinged to lift the static orchestra during a performance.

That was not a trampoline, it was an orchestra pit lift. I don't have advanced training in physics or engineering, but I do have common sense enough not to have a group jumping on the pit lift because I get the concept of its design.

Gary R. Welsh said...

There are mobile support platforms that are used to support the weight of the orchestra pit cover flooring. Apparently other theaters use those for stage productions. It's not clear why this theater didn't have one in place last night.

Anonymous said...

As most kids in IN are obese this is hardly surprising. The average weight of those kids is 200+ lbs each. A bunch of corn-fed fatties!