20 Years Later: Deadly microburst sweeps through Kennywood Park
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the deadly storms that swept through Kennywood Park.
A microburst struck the amusement park, leaving one woman, a Monroeville native, dead in its wake.
Strong winds, some up to 80 miles per hour, tore apart The Whip attraction and the pavilion structure that was attached to the ride. The severe weather launched the debris nearly twenty feet from the ride, crushing the victim and pinning her against a fence. The storm lasted about 30 minutes.
Then-West Mifflin Police Chief Frank Diener later identified the victim as 30-year-old Stephanie Wilkerson.
Dozens of other people suffered injuries of varying degrees and were treated at area hospitals.
The Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh admitted 12 children to the facility in the storm's aftermath. Most had neck, face, and head injuries.
Officials at other hospitals said at the time that many of the injured had broken bones.
The weather ravaged other parts of the region as well, including parts of Lawrenceville, as the storm moved on through the northeast.