Local Residents Attended Sugarland Concert Where Stage Collapsed at State Fairgrounds
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Two Kosciusko County sisters and their cousin were at the Indiana State Fair Saturday night and were three of thousands who witnessed the grandstand stage collapse.
Amanda Weybright, 24, Milford, and her sister, Elizabeth Augustine, 27, Winona Lake, and their cousin, Angie Weybright, 27, Milford, were looking forward to seeing opener Sara Bareilles and main act Sugarland perform.
A thunderstorm warning came at 8:39 p.m. Saturday.
About 10 minutes later, a gust of wind, potentially as strong as 70 miles per hour, toppled the rigging above the Sugarland stage, killing five people and injuring 45.
The winds toppled the stage where an estimated 12,000 people were waiting to see the band Sugarland perform Saturday night.
About four dozen people, some critically injured, were taken to hospitals.
During a telephone interview this morning, Amanda, who is employed at Goshen Hospital as a nurse in the emergency room, said the night started out with her, her sister and cousin eating elephant ears and drinking lemon shakeups.
Their seats were in the grandstand, west of the stage.
Amanda said after seeing Bareilles perform, they waited for Sugarland’s stage to be set up.
“The sky was getting very dark and black, and by that time a man came on stage and said if there was a storm to calmly leave the grandstand and take cover in a building at the fairgrounds,” Amanda said. “No more than two to three minutes later we saw what we thought was rain, but realized it was wind that came up over the stage knocking it down.”
Amanda said she could see people running down on the track, and others congregating around the stage trying to lift it up.
Amanda said she and her sister and cousin fled to a building with the other concert-goers at the fairgrounds until the storm let up and then they headed home.
“We could hear ambulance sirens and saw a bunch of ambulances lined up and saw firemen and police cars,” Amanda said.
When they were driving home, Amanda said her cousin Angie’s friend contacted her to let her know people had died at the fair from the stage collapsing on them.
“It still feels surreal today, and yesterday it felt like the world was standing still but it still kept going,” Amanda said.
She said her prayers and thoughts are with the victims and their families of the tragedy.
“All we can do is pray right now,” Amanda said.
Four of the victims died at the scene: Alina Bigjohny, 23, Fort Wayne, a Manchester College graduate; Christina Santiago, 29, Chicago; Tammy Vandam, 42, Wanatah; and 49-year-old Glenn Goodrich, Indianapolis. Nathan Byrd, a 51-year-old stagehand from Indianapolis who was atop the rigging when it fell, also died.
The Indiana State Fair reopened today for the first time since the strong gust of wind caused a deadly stage collapse. A ceremony was held to honor and remember the five people killed in the accident.
