$13 million settlement reached in deadly tent collapse at Prairie Fest in 2015
A more than $13 million settlement has been reached in a string of lawsuits over a deadly tent collapse at a festival in Wood Dale, Illinois, in 2015.
Surveillance video shows Steven Nincic, 35, and his family leaving Prairie Fest on Aug. 2, 2015, when a sudden storm brought high winds, hail and rain to the festival. Police officers directed them under a giant tent.
The tent collapsed amid 60 mph winds, killing Nincic. Lorraine Nocek, 81, also was seriously injured, and died in January 2016. At least 19 other people were injured when the tent collapsed.
Attorneys for Nincic's and Nocek's families said an investigation found the tent installer, Classic Party Rentals, did not follow the manufacturer's safety requirements to properly anchor the tent.
"This tragedy was entirely preventable," attorney Lawrence J. Amato said in a statement. "Had the Mega Tent been properly installed; it would have withstood the weather conditions. The families of Steven Nincic and Lorraine Nocek have endured tremendous loss because basic safety requirements were ignored and while no settlement can replace their loved ones, this resolution delivers accountability to those responsible."
Attorneys also claimed emergency plans in place for the festival were ignored, including an evacuation plan that called for guests to be directed to nearby Wood Dale Junior High School, and that weather reports on the day of the storm gave organizers and city officials in Wood Dale sufficient basis to cancel the festival before the storm hit, but that was not done.
On Wednesday, attorneys for the Nincic and Nocek families, and several people injured in the tent collapse announced a $13.424 million settlement to resolve their lawsuits. It was not immediately clear how the settlement would be divided.