Inspection records probed after stage collapse at Indiana high school
INDIANAPOLIS - Authorities were reviewing inspection records after more than a dozen students suffered minor injuries when a stage packed with dancing and clapping youths collapsed during a musical performance at a central Indiana high school.
Westfield Washington Schools Superintendent Mark Keen said Friday that the orchestra pit has a cover that can be put in place so performers can get closer to the audience. He said the cover gave way almost immediately.
Keen said it was a "very normal" day at school Friday and very few students took advantage of speaking to counselors.
Capt. Charles Hollowell of the Westfield Police Department said all the students injured in the collapse Thursday evening were "doing really well," including a girl initially reported in critical condition. She was the only student still being treated at a hospital Friday morning, Hollowell said.
Authorities said a large group of students was on the stage during the grand finale of the "American Pie" concert at Westfield High School when the floor of the stage collapsed into the orchestra pit below.
The State Fire Marshal's office, Indiana State Police and Indiana's workplace-safety agency were investigating the collapse and would "make every effort to prevent this or worse from happening in the future," Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said in a statement.
Keen said the school was gathering stage records for investigators to scrutinize.
Pence said he was "relieved beyond words" that no one was killed or seriously injured.
Audience member Sara Camden tweeted video she took:
Video posted to Twitter by Zach Rader - who was in the audience - and consistent with the AP's reporting shows more than a dozen students dancing and clapping on stage while a female student sings along to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."
Most students then suddenly plummet out of sight, the music cuts off and screams are heard.
Nicole Gruszka was the lead singer on the stage when it happened. She recounted her experience to CBS Indianapolis affiliate WTTV.
"I had just stepped forward onto the steps right off of the orchestra pit when I heard a crash mid-note," she said. "I looked back and the floor had fallen and everyone was in the hole. I immediately knew it wasn't a part of it because we had been rehearsing for so long. I knew the audience was confused, but I knew right away and I just didn't know what to do so I just froze."
Blake Rice, an 18-year-old senior at the school, about 20 miles north of Indianapolis, said he was playing guitar in the performance, a tribute to '80s music.
As the last song began, Rice said he took a step back to allow more students onto the stage. He saw the stage collapse but did not fall through.
"At first, it didn't seem real. It didn't really register with me what happened," Rice said.
Rice said people in the audience immediately ran toward the stage and began pulling debris off students. Auditorium staff pulled people out of the pit, he said.
"I realized how lucky I was," Rice said. "Another 3 seconds and that could have been me."
Regularly scheduled classes will meet Friday and Keen said faculty would come in early to work with students as they arrive.
Westfield Mayor Andy Cook said he visited some of the injured students at hospitals. He said he told them: "You kids must have been really rocking."
The incident evoked memories of a 2011 stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair that killed seven people and injured nearly 100. High winds toppled rigging and sent the stage roof onto fans awaiting the start of a concert by the country duo Sugarland.
J.T. Coopman, the executive director of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, said he expected the accident to "jolt people into action" at schools statewide to review the safety of their stages.
"That would be the direction that I would be giving my maintenance staff: 'Do we have a structure like this? How often do we inspect it? Are we sure that it's absolutely safe before we use it?'" he said.