Photo by Leslie Paczosa
In August of 2011, at the Indiana State Fair, the stage Sugarland was about to perform on collapsed taking the lives of 7 people and injuring many others. As the duo was set to give their depositions this past week in court new reports were released by the Indianapolis Star.
According to the reports of two independent firms that were hired to investigate the stage collapse, poor stage rigging and improper procedures are to blame. Washington DC based Emergency Preparedness Company Witt Associates stated that the fair did not have an official procedure in place for delaying concerts, which led to an “ambiguity of authority,” according to the Indianapolis Star. The structural experts from Thorton Thomasetti stated the stage rigging was not built to withstand the wind-speeds required by the building codes; with speakers and screens attached the highest winds the rigging could withstand was 20 mph to 40 mph. A maximum wind gust of 59 mph hit the stage that evening, according to The Indianapolis Star.
Sugarland released a statement prior to the depositions saying they intend to be “as open and honest as we can.”
“In all the back-and-forth between the lawyers, the suggestion’s been made that we’ve somehow been trying to avoid having to answer questions about last summer’s terrible tragedy,” the duo contended. “This is simply not true. There is no one who wants to get to the bottom of what happened more than we do, which is why we’re ready, willing, and able to give these depositions today and tomorrow. The judge has put limits on what can be discussed, but within those limits, we intend to be as honest and open as we can. We want all the facts to come out, not only for the sake of all the victims and their loved ones, but also so we can make sure that nothing like this ever happens again,” the statement said, according to The Indianapolis Star.