26 people injured after tent collapses at company party in Bedford Park
CHICAGO (CBS) -- More than two dozen people were injured after a large tent collapsed during a company function in Bedford Park on Thursday morning.
The collapse occurred around 10:45 a.m. at what was an employee appreciation event in a parking lot behind the Design Collective by Cintas at 73rd and Central.
According to Bedford Park Police Chief Tom Hansen, 26 people were injured. Five of the victims were seriously injured. It was unclear how many people in total were under the tent at the time of the collapse.
People on the scene told CBS 2's Tara Molina the tent was covering the chairs and tables in the parking lot, but it fell. CBS 2 cameras spotted investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration arriving at the scene.
The Bedford Park Department of Buildings is also investigating the tent collapse.
"We are grateful to the first responders who arrived within minutes of the incident and provided assistance," Cintas said in a statement.
The company added it was cooperating with local officials on the investigation into the collapse but did not address how the people injured were doing.
Design Collective creates workplace clothing for a variety of businesses, according to its website.
Eddie Zawilla owns and operates EZ Tent Rentals. His company was not involved in Thursday's collapse.
"That should have never happened," Zawilla said. "I don't know what happened but it doesn't speak to our industry."
CBS 2 caught up with his crew as they erected a commercial tent in Melrose Park.
"You're talking about thousands of pounds," he said.
Zawilla said those in the industry are talking about the accident, but many have already ruled out the weather as a factor.
"Today's weather was beautiful," he said. "I don't know what the wind gust was, but it was non-existent."
While investigators work to determine the exact cause, Zawilla said judging from the video, the tent was compromised due to what they call in the tent industry ballast, essentially meaning it was not weighted down properly.
"The weight that holds the tent wasn't properly distributed, whether they had enough weight, it wasn't in the right places or they clearly didn't have enough weights to begin with."
That's the same thing workers told CBS 2 off camera. Even they noticed that no weights were anchored to the tent, but because it wasn't windy, many didn't think much of it. That proved to be problematic, resulting in the collapse.
"I hope and pray that everybody at the hospital still is healthy and have a speedy recovery," Zawilla said.