It has been a while since I have read news of a circus tent being blown down.
Yesterday, as some rather violent thunderstorms passed north of us, hundreds of people were inside a circus tent in New Hampshire enjoying a performance by the Walker Bros. circus. According to one report I saw, the wind came up, poles began lifting up and everything came crashing down. There were two deaths and many injuries.
It reminded me of the time the circus tent came down on us.
Obviously there are investigations into what went wrong. Circus tents often come with ratings as to how much wind they can withstand. 60 mph gusts are usually tolerable if everything is set up correctly, but wind can play tricks, and this storm had hail.
The immediate aftermath of a circus tent collapse is temporary chaos. When our tent came down on us, it was dark, stormy, and disorienting. What was solid, dry, and entertaining moments before was quickly transformed into a wet mess of confusion.
At first, rescue and emergency efforts are spontaneously improvised by those on the scene. Circus members and the public immediately work together to free people. It takes teamwork. The locals know who was in the tent, and the lay of the land. The circus knows where the power units and cables are running.
Rescue and emergency services then join in, and rely on the circus and audience for critical information about injuries and other possible concerns.
Gradually, everyone begins to understand what had happened.
A circus is shaken by this sort of thing. It may not want to return to the same site again for quite a while.
A town is shaken by this sort of thing, with friends and neighbors impacted by the event. They will remember this for the rest of their lives.
Lives can’t be brought back, but the show will go on.
My thoughts are with all concerned.
Sad
It’s very sad news. It’s also a weird & tragic way to die these days. My sympathy to their family.
Odd video
These folks seemed to anticipate that the tent was about to blow down, and seem quite happy about seeing it go down.
https://youtu.be/R5p44-zOAoo
History of negligence
According to an article in the Reformer today this circus decided to go ahead with their show despite warnings from the National Weather Service about dangerous winds. This same company has a history of being fined for neglect and abuse of their animals and had their license revoked for 5 years for that reason. It also seems that they did not file for a permit from the town to set the circus up and no inspections were done to ensure the safety of the tent.
I wish that towns would be more vigilant in overseeing traveling shows that come around. They didn’t file for a permit but surely someone noticed them setting up? It was a circus- not easily hidden. I’m assuming they did some sort of advertising beforehand since more than a hundred people were in attendance. Nobody in the town government could bother to see if they had gone through the proper channels? I would imagine that along with the company that owns and operates this circus the town itself holds some legal responsibility for the lives that were lost and the injuries incurred. To my mind, any operation that mistreats it’s animals should be out of business permanently. Circuses can be fun without holding animals captive in unsafe and brutal conditions.