The country group Sugarland was set to perform but had not taken the stage when the storm moved in. Strong winds caused the stage rigging to collapse.
Three children were taken to Riley Hospital for Children and eight adults to Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis. At Wishard Memorial Hospital, 17 patients, children and adults were being treated for injuries, none of them life-threatening, according to a hospital spokesman. None of the performers were injured.
At around 9:30, the singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush of the headlining act Sugarland posted on their Twitter account: “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.” Shortly after, videos of the accident surfaced on YouTube and Facebook. In one, dust lashes across the sky before the rigging collapses onto the screaming crowd.
At the hospitals, auxiliary emergency room workers were called in; at Methodist, a staff of 50 was treating the severely injured on Saturday night as more than a dozen walk-ins poured in through the evening.
“It’s a pretty serious situation, especially when you have to call in most of your emergency crews,” said Kristofer Karol, a spokesman for Indiana University Health, which operates Methodist and Riley. He would not say what sorts of injuries were being treated. “It’s under control back here but everybody is working to get us through this,” he said.
At 10:30, Sara Bareilles, the evening’s other performer, posted on Twitter, “I’m speechless and feel so helpless. Please send love and prayers to Indianapolis tonight. My heart aches for the lives lost.” She signed with the tag “#indyiloveyou.
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