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Around two dozen students were injured, one critically, when a stage collapsed. In the final moments of a student concert, the platform they were standing on gave way and sent the singers tumbling into the orchestra pit. VPC
Police are on the scene at Westfield High School after a stage collapsed Thursday evening during a student performance.(Photo: Matt Detrich / The Star)
WESTFIELD, Ind. — School doors opened Friday morning to welcome pupils still shocked by a stage collapse Thursday night at an Indiana high school that injured 17 students during a spring musical.
Relieved officials said all the injuries appeared to be minor including to one student who had been listed as critical.
Police said the injured students are "doing really well."
The stage collapsed Thursday night during the presentation of "American Pie," a student-led musical at Westfield High School. Westfield police will lead the investigation.
Westfield schools superintendent Mark Keen said the part of the stage that collapsed has a removable floor over an orchestra pit.
Mayor Andy Cook said he visited students at several hospitals overnight and many of them were upbeat.
"I said, 'You kids must really have been rocking.' " Cook said at an early morning news conference. "They said, 'Yes, we had a good time.' "
Keen said opening the schools would let students comfort each other, provide normalcy and allow access to counselors.
"We want today to be as normal as possible," Keen said. "They can talk it through in first-period class."
The Westfield incident brought back memories of the stage collapse in 2011 at the Indiana State Fair that killed seven people and injured more than 40.
On Thursday about 10 p.m., in the final moments of a student concert, while the performers gathered toward the front of the stage, the platform they were standing on gave way and sent the singers tumbling into the orchestra pit.
"I was honestly just shocked," said Andrew Baier, a senior at Westfield who was in the auditorium during the incident. "I didn't think that anything like that could happen, especially here at Westfield."
Screams suddenly replaced the sound of singing voices as the students lay in the pit, covered by broken pieces of wood and metal.
"We were all just trying to figure out what was going on," Baier said. He said he helped an injured woman to her car after the collapse. She had dried blood down her face and had hurt her leg and ankle.
"We were trying to help those who couldn't help themselves," he said.
"We have some seriously injured people," said Joe Lyons, fire chief at the Westfield Fire Department on Thursday. "Not one hospital is going to be able to handle this many patients."
Multiple ambulances were requested to transport victims to area hospitals, Lyons said.
"Some parents rushed the stage area," said Mandi McKinley Brown, who was also in the auditorium watching the students perform. "Most of us stayed in our seats to stay out of the way. People were lifting large pieces of the stage out of the pit from on top of the kids."
"We'll look at the cause of what happened here and certainly take every precaution to see that it doesn't happen again," Cook said Thursday night.
He was at home when he saw a police bulletin about the collapse and he headed to the high school.
When he arrived, he said two to three kids were still trapped under the stage and a half dozen were being treated nearby.
Olivia Huser, a spokeswoman for Riverview Health, said Thursday two victims came into the hospital on their own and were being evaluated for their injuries.
Three of the victims who had been admitted to St. Vincent Carmel Hospital left in wheelchairs with their families around 1:30 a.m. Friday morning, but declined to comment as they headed to their cars.
"It took a moment to actually process what just happened," Brown said of the collapse. "Then, it was all about the kids. I was very thankful mine were sitting next to me and praying for the very worried parents whose kids were on stage."
Contributing: The Associated Press
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Students fall through stage during school performance
Apr 24, 2015
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Around two dozen students were injured, one critically, when a stage collapsed. In the final moments of a student concert, the platform they were standing on gave way and sent the singers tumbling into the orchestra pit. VPC
Police are on the scene at Westfield High School after a stage collapsed Thursday evening during a student performance.(Photo: Matt Detrich / The Star)
WESTFIELD, Ind. — School doors opened Friday morning to welcome pupils still shocked by a stage collapse Thursday night at an Indiana high school that injured 17 students during a spring musical.
Relieved officials said all the injuries appeared to be minor including to one student who had been listed as critical.
Police said the injured students are "doing really well."
The stage collapsed Thursday night during the presentation of "American Pie," a student-led musical at Westfield High School. Westfield police will lead the investigation.
Westfield schools superintendent Mark Keen said the part of the stage that collapsed has a removable floor over an orchestra pit.
Mayor Andy Cook said he visited students at several hospitals overnight and many of them were upbeat.
"I said, 'You kids must really have been rocking.' " Cook said at an early morning news conference. "They said, 'Yes, we had a good time.' "
Keen said opening the schools would let students comfort each other, provide normalcy and allow access to counselors.
"We want today to be as normal as possible," Keen said. "They can talk it through in first-period class."
The Westfield incident brought back memories of the stage collapse in 2011 at the Indiana State Fair that killed seven people and injured more than 40.
On Thursday about 10 p.m., in the final moments of a student concert, while the performers gathered toward the front of the stage, the platform they were standing on gave way and sent the singers tumbling into the orchestra pit.
"I was honestly just shocked," said Andrew Baier, a senior at Westfield who was in the auditorium during the incident. "I didn't think that anything like that could happen, especially here at Westfield."
Screams suddenly replaced the sound of singing voices as the students lay in the pit, covered by broken pieces of wood and metal.
"We were all just trying to figure out what was going on," Baier said. He said he helped an injured woman to her car after the collapse. She had dried blood down her face and had hurt her leg and ankle.
"We were trying to help those who couldn't help themselves," he said.
"We have some seriously injured people," said Joe Lyons, fire chief at the Westfield Fire Department on Thursday. "Not one hospital is going to be able to handle this many patients."
Multiple ambulances were requested to transport victims to area hospitals, Lyons said.
"Some parents rushed the stage area," said Mandi McKinley Brown, who was also in the auditorium watching the students perform. "Most of us stayed in our seats to stay out of the way. People were lifting large pieces of the stage out of the pit from on top of the kids."
"We'll look at the cause of what happened here and certainly take every precaution to see that it doesn't happen again," Cook said Thursday night.
He was at home when he saw a police bulletin about the collapse and he headed to the high school.
When he arrived, he said two to three kids were still trapped under the stage and a half dozen were being treated nearby.
Olivia Huser, a spokeswoman for Riverview Health, said Thursday two victims came into the hospital on their own and were being evaluated for their injuries.
Three of the victims who had been admitted to St. Vincent Carmel Hospital left in wheelchairs with their families around 1:30 a.m. Friday morning, but declined to comment as they headed to their cars.
"It took a moment to actually process what just happened," Brown said of the collapse. "Then, it was all about the kids. I was very thankful mine were sitting next to me and praying for the very worried parents whose kids were on stage."
Contributing: The Associated Press
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1GoNHBO
USA NOW
Students fall through stage during school performance
Apr 24, 2015
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