14 Backstreet Boys Fans Injured In Oklahoma Storm
THACKERVILLE, Okla. (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Officials at an Oklahoma casino say 14 people suffered cuts and bruises when a powerful rainstorm toppled entrance trusses and disrupted the start of an outdoor concert by the Backstreet Boys and the band 98 Degrees.
Kym Koch-Thompson, spokeswoman for the WinStar World Casino and Resort, says the concertgoers were treated at the scene following Saturday's storm, then taken to hospitals in Oklahoma and Texas. She says they were all treated for minor injuries and released. The casino in Thackerville is about 70 miles northwest of Dallas.
The casino says a storm packing winds of up to 80 mph struck the venue about 5:30 p.m. and caused scaffolding to come crashing down on about 150 concertgoers who didn't heed earlier evacuation warnings.
The victims include Army medic Thomas Leach who said he tried to help others who were also hurt. "I never knew it was falling until… actually I didn't even know it fell until well after, because I was hit in the head and I was on the ground. The only thing I knew was something happened and blood was literally pouring out of my head."
We never want to put our fans in harm's way and with tonight's weather and the injuries from earlier, we have decided to cancel the show and will attempt to reschedule. The most important thing is for everyone to get home safely and we will see you all very soon!
— Backstreet Boys (@backstreetboys) August 19, 2018
The concert was canceled but the Backstreet Boys said they plan to reschedule.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)