By Jeff Lipton
Stage-rigging equipment falls, 5 students hurt
Lawrence school officials are trying to determine how stage-rigging equipment in the Lawrence Middle School auditorium came crashing down on students rehearsing a play last week, injuring five girls in the production.
The children, ages 12 to 14, were rehearsing for a performance of the musical "Anything Goes" at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13, when a piece of stage-rigging equipment fell and struck the girls, school district officials said. Two of the children, one of whom was hit on the back of the head and required 11 stitches to close a wound, received minor head injuries. The three other students suffered neck and shoulder injuries.
A 40-foot-long, 150-pound metal flybar, used to suspend and move background scenery, dropped more than 20 feet on the children as they began rehearsing the performance. Officials are investigating whether someone tampered with the rigging system, unintentionally removing a safety device.
"As you can imagine, it came down from a considerable distance, at a considerable speed, and grazed the five children," said Dr. Paul Kelleher, Lawrence Public Schools superintendent
"Thank God," Dr. Kelleher said when he learned that the children will be okay. "That's a 150-pound pipe. If it hit a child squarely on the head, it could have been much more serious."
Police and fire officials responded to the school, at 195 Broadway, within minutes and treated the children, who were then taken to Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola and Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow. Three of the children were transported to the hospital by paramedics, while parents transported the other two.
Between 40 and 50 kids were in the auditorium at the time of the accident, but it is not clear how many students were on stage. The flybar is described by fire officials as being similar to the top of a fence post. "I think it was a frightening experience for it to fall. The stage-rigging is old and antiquated and I was concerned that more of it would fall, so we cleared the stage as quick as possible," said Dr. Kelleher.
"I think everyone was frightened. There was a certain amount of hysteria," he added.
Officials from the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department rushed to the scene. "When we arrived, there was quite a lot of commotion," said Tony DeLuca, fire department chief. "The kids were quite upset." One child was fitted with a neck collar and a board as other children were treated for cuts and bruises.
In a letter to parents, teachers and students, dated Feb. 14, Dr. Mark Kavarsky, principal of Lawrence Middle School, tried to explain what had happened. He said three of the injured students returned to school the day after the accident happened. The other two have since returned as well, officials said.
"Fortunately, these students were attended to immediately and we expect them to fully recover from their injuries," said Dr. Kavarsky.
"We wish to commend the Lawrence Middle School staff, music advisors and all the children for their handling of this difficult situation," Dr. Kavarsky said. "We would also like to acknowledge the quick and efficient response of our local police and fire departments who were on the scene within a few minutes."
The principal said the district has launched a full investigation into the incident and a stage-rigging inspector was on the set the evening of the accident. "He will help us determine the extent of repairs necessary to ensure that the rigging presents no danger to students and staff," Dr. Kavarsky said.
He added that school officials expect to receive a full report with recommendations on how to better secure the stage within a few days.
After learning about the incident, parents were incensed. One parent said the middle school building was in the worst shape in the district. "Parents can't wait until their kids leave that school," she said.
The middle school auditorium will be closed for at least three weeks, Dr. Kelleher said
"We take this very serious. We can't put the kids in jeopardy again," he said.
He said the stage-rigging equipment will be inspected at two other schools that have the system-the Number Six School in Woodmere and Lawrence High School.
Joe Milazzo of Dependable Stage and Gymnasium Services Inc., a licensed professional stage-rigger, arrived at the school immediately after the accident to conduct an investigation. His preliminary findings indicated that the weights that move the flybar were not properly balanced, Dr. Kelleher said.
In 1997 Mr. Milazzo had inspected the stage-rigging equipment at the middle school and installed a safety device which rendered the flybar system inoperable, meaning that stage settings would have to be changed manually.
"But that safety device was removed, which is of great concern to us," Dr. Kelleher said. "It was installed four years ago and we've had multiple users since then, including outside users. Someone moved the system and moved the bar. There was no security system in place because the cable was removed."
He added that he does not believe someone intentionally tampered with the system. "My guess is that someone removed it without realizing what the danger was. It's hard for me to believe that anyone working in there would try to injure people.
"It fell down because it was not properly balanced and people are not trained in how to balance it. The whole system needs to be brought up to code," Dr. Kelleher said.
The stage-rigging system needs to be overhauled with new cables, pulleys and bars, which will be considerably expensive, the superintendent said. He said a new rigging system was part of the district's Master Plan to refurbish the schools, a plan recently presented to the school board. But a vote on a bond to pay for the repairs has been delayed.
As a result of the accident, the performance of "Anything Goes," which was originally scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 14, was postponed until 8 p.m. Saturday, March 24 in the Lawrence High School auditorium.
"Our students are excited over the new venue and extremely pleased that we're going forward with the production," said Gary Schall, district supervisor of music and arts-in-education.
