Several Students Injured When Stage Collapses In Central Indiana
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The finale of a high school musical in central Indiana came to an unexpected end Thursday night, as more than a dozen students were hurt when the stage collapsed while they gathered for the last number in the show.
The stage collapsed at the end of the musical "American Pie" at Westfield High School, about 20 miles north of Indianapolis. The horrible accident was caught on camera.
Students fell several feet down into the orchestra pit when the stage gave way. Stunned parents and students ran to the stage to help.
"Everybody was singing, it was the last song, and then you just hear this huge bang, and then all the students disappear, and we were just like 'Is this planned?' And then silence, and then everybody just started screaming, and running to the stage," witness Alyssa Schrenker said. "What we saw was just traumatizing; just an awful, awful heartbreaking sight."
Paramedics took at least one of the students to the hospital in critical condition, but that student is expected to be fine. More than a dozen students suffered minor injuries.
Westfield Washington Schools Supt. Mark Keen said classes would be in session as usual on Friday. Counselors would be on hand at the school.
"They're going to try to make it as normal a day as possible," he said. "A lot of these students have younger siblings in different schools, so everybody's going to be dealing with this, not just the high school. Get them in there, get in the first period class, start talking it through," he said.
Police and city officials began inspecting the stage overnight, to determine what caused it to collapse.
"We're securing all records, and we'll have all records available once we have done all that," Keen said.
The school was built in 1997, and the stage was updated a few years ago.