Video - 4 Dead at Indianapolis State Fair as Sugarland Stage Collapses

There was tragic news out of Indianapolis Indiana Saturday night.

The concert stage used by Sugarland collapsed at the Indiana State Fair Grounds as 70 mph winds whipped through the area.

No act was performing at the time of the collapse but 4 people were killed and at least 40 people were taken to local hospitals and 150 people were treated at a triage area set up at the fairgrounds.

About 12,000 fans were in attendance for the show.

The Indianapolis State Fair runs from August 5th through August 21st and is known for hosting some of the biggest acts in the music business.

Watch the Stage Collapse at the Indiana State Fair


The band Sugarland was preparing to perform when a gust of wind blew the support beams out from under the stage canopy causing the entire rig to come crashing down.

“The storm blew in and the stage rigging started to sway. You could see it was going to collapse but there was nothing anybody could do. Then it just fell to the ground – almost like it was slow motion.”

You can hear the panic in the voices of the people on the video as the structure begins to fall.

Sugarland took to twitter to say,

“We are all right. We are praying for our fans, and the people of Indianapolis. We hope you'll join us. They need your strength.”

Lead singer of Sugarland Sara Bareilles later tweeted,

“I'm speechless and feel so helpless. Please send love and prayers to Indianapolis tonight. My heart aches for the lives lost.”

Fellow musician Keith Urban wrote,

"I just saw the footage from Indiana State Fair tonight on YouTube and am absolutely in shock. We send our prayers and thoughts to each and every one of you who were there and your families and loved ones as well. God bless you all."

No word yet if organizers will cancel the Fair or any of the upcoming shows scheduled for next week.

Acts scheduled to appear during the week of August 15th include Janet Jackson, Train, Maroon 5, and Lady Antebellum.

People work to remove injured fans after stage collapse

So far there has not been any official word from these artists or their representatives about cancellations but some are expected to bow out in respect for the dead and injured.

The stage area will also be the subject of an investigation and may not be usable for several weeks as investigators comb the area looking for clues as to what caused the stage to collapse.



Early Sunday morning Sugarland had updated their official website with the following statement,

“We are all right after our stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair tonight. Many of our fans and friends in Indianapolis may not be. Please keep them in your thoughts, prayers, or whatever form of strength you are able to send. They need you. Thank you.”

The band was scheduled to perform in Des Moines, Iowa Sunday evening before heading to Albuquerque, New Mexico later in the week.

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Donald Trump Backs Out of Driving the Indy 500 Pace Car – Good Riddance

Donald Trump is learning that there may be consequences to running his mouth.

And for the first time in his life he may have had those now infamous words spoken to him – You’re fired.

After what can only be described as a couple of bad weeks of press, the Donald has backed out of, or maybe been fired from, driving the Indy 500 pace car before the big race later this month.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s tradition of having a celebrity, or other notable personality, drive the pace lap goes back to the inception of the brickyard event.

Trump notified track authorities yesterday saying he was cancelling. Track spokesman Doug Boles said,

“We had conversations with Trump that started yesterday, and he was talking about his concern that he may make an announcement for president ahead of the race and that it may be inappropriate to drive the pace car. So we discussed the political ramifications for everyone, we spoke with him again this morning and he decided to pull aside.”

Really? I would think that being the pace car driver might be a positive thing for a presidential candidate. Is there more to this story? Yes.

It seems that a huge number of race fans complained that Trump was too controversial to be the driver, and a grass roots effort was started to oust the blabber mouth from the job.

In fact, Indiana State representative Jeb Bardon, who represents the Speedway district, started the opposition with a fiery speech to fellow legislators on the house floor, and a local attorney started a Facebook page that already has 18,000 followers.

Why is this story important to me?

I was born in Indianapolis and spent my youth going to the track during race month. In later years I got drunk during carb day, and ran through the mud in the infield watching qualifications. It was a tradition. It was a rite of passage.

It was an honor to stand and cheer as the pace car drove past signaling the start of the race. Imagining big mouth Donald Trump serving the honor does not sit well with me.

Who will they get to replace the Celebrity Apprentice blabber mouth?

How about getting someone from our Armed Forces, or a representative from the Navy SEALS, or a local family of a 9/11 survivor. I can think of plenty of people better suited than Donald Trump.

I may live a thousand miles from the Speedway today, but I can still sing the words to “Back Home Again in Indiana”.

Related: Seth Meyers Roasts Trump at White House Dinner.
Related: Donald Trump is such a dick.
Related: Donald Trump on the Today Show. What an idiot.

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