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| State Fair hires safety inspector |
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (AP) — Funerals were recently held for two more of the six people who died after high winds toppled stage rigging into a crowd at the Indiana State Fair Aug. 13.
A seventh death from this tragedy is imminent, according to the Indiana State Police (ISP).
WRTV reported family members described 49-year-old Glenn Goodrich as a man who “always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.” Goodrich’s funeral was Saturday in Indianapolis. Goodrich was married and had two children.
Services were Friday in Fort Wayne for 23-year-old Alina Bigjohny, who also died in the accident. The Journal Gazette reported more than 200 people gathered to pay their respects to the Fort Wayne woman.
Fifty-one-year-old stagehand Nathan Byrd of Indianapolis was buried Thursday.
The others killed were Bigjohny’s best friend, 22-year-old Jennifer Haskell; 42-year-old Tammy Vandam of Wanatah, Ind.; and, 29-year-old Christina Santiago of Chicago.
Meagan Toothman, 24 of Cincinnati, was on life support in very critical condition as of late Monday morning, said ISP spokesman David Bursten.
He quoted Marion County Coroner Frank Lloyd’s office as saying that death was imminent. Her family were planning to allow surgeons to harvest Tootman’s organs Monday afternoon.
Toothman, who was the cheerleading coach at Turpin High School, was in the front row at the Sugarland concert when the rigging gave way.
More than 40 were injured when the metal stage rigging collapsed nearly two weeks ago. Gov. Mitch Daniels’ office hired the nationally recognized public safety and crisis management firm Witt Associates to assist the Indiana State Fair Commission’s investigation of the incident.
According to Daniels’ office, Witt will complete an investigation and provide a report to the commission and him on all aspects of the adequacy of state fair procedures and the effectiveness of decision-making during and after the event, as well as the response to the accident.
Daniels also requested the state’s Inspector General assign several investigators to the State Fair Commission to assist with fact-finding and documentation. That effort started Aug. 17.
The commission announced last week it was engaging Thornton Tomasetti, a New York engineering company, to coordinate and conduct the structural portion of the investigation. |
| 8/25/2011 |
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