KENDALL COUNTY, Texas — Eight visitors to the Kendall County Fair were hospitalized when a section of bleachers seating collapsed Saturday night, officials said. Another four were treated for minor injuries at the scene.
Video from the scene showed a large crowd at the scene as those in the seating area tried to get down while others held up what remained of the crumpled seating in the 1300 block of River Road.
It's unknown at this point what caused the collapse at the fair grounds shortly around 9:15 p.m. on the event's first night, but some fair-goers who witnessed the chaos unfolding firsthand said it was full at the time, estimating that 15 to 20 people fell through.
"We were sitting down watching the rodeo and all of a sudden we just heard this loud bang," said April Cleghorn, who was attending with her fiancé Kyle Szuck. "We look over and the bleachers were basically falling at the very top. People that were standing at the top had fallen through.
It's unknown if any of those taken to local hospitals had serious injuries.
The emergency was first confirmed by the Kendall County Office of Emergency Management, which said in a Facebook post that "part of the new stadium did collapse." The fair was shut down for the rest of the night.
Officials with the City of Boerne said crews would "inspect the rodeo grounds Sunday morning to ensure the public’s safety before the fair will be allowed to continue."
"It was very nerve-racking, very scary," Cleghorn said. "We have a lot of friends out here, my kids have a lot of friends out here. So the first thing I thought was this could be somebody we know."
Images circulating on social media showed a large number of people scattered at the area and crime scene tape set up around the collapsed bleachers. Ambulances were also on-scene.
Amid the chaos, Cleghorn and Szuck said some attendees jumped in to help hold up the collapsed seating to assist other fair-goers in escaping—including Szuck himself.
"I'm a veteran and it was just muscle memory to run over there and help," he said, adding they held up the mass of metal for about 10 minutes before first responders arrived.
"I think everybody knew how important it was to stay calm and collected," Cleghorn added.
It's unknown as of now what caused the collapse.
On Sunday, the Kendall County Fair Association posted on Facebook that the Sunday night rodeo performance had been cancelled. The entertainment, however, would still be happening.
The carnival will open at 2 p.m.
This is a developing story. Check back with KENS5.com for updates.
