SAN ANTONIO — Victims in the Kendall County Fair bleacher collapse are speaking up after the incident many fair-goers described as "chaos" left some in the hospital to treat their injuries.
Emergency crews were on the scene around 9:15 p.m. Saturday night to tend to multiple people. Four people were treated at the scene, eight were transported to local hospitals.
One attendee who wanted to remain anonymous said it was a matter of seconds when he and his friend hit the ground.
"A heavier beam was on her when we fell," he said. "And her leg was trapped under there. I had the end of the beam on me. And we were able to lift it up to free her.”
Another victim, Tiffany Fleming, was watching a cattle scramble event when she felt the floor give out from underneath her.
“I’m so lucky to not have any scrapes or anything like that," Fleming said. "Just a little bit of bruising and it was a panic of course I wanted to get out from underneath. Because you don’t know if everything is going to fall on top of you. So I scrambled out and ran over to the boys.”
Shaken, she's grateful fair-goers didn't hesitate to help her and others.
“I just remember trying to grab on to railings and bars to slow my fall,” she said.
Witnesses say there was no rough-housing or jumping that took place on the bleachers before the collapse.
"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."
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.
Assistant Fire Chief with the Boerne Fire Department, Walter Ball says the cause of the collapse of the newly constructed seating area is still under investigation. But he is grateful so many visitors stepped in to help.
“Whether you’re a first responder or a patron, everyone was willing to lend a helping hand,” Ball said. “We want to thank the community for their continued support throughout last night and through today. The Kendall County and Boerne area has always been like that. We will continue to be like that. We stay strong together.”
Assistant Fire Chief Ball said the rodeo has been postponed. Once grounds are deemed safe, the rodeo will continue. Normal grounds like the carnival and concerts will remain open to the public.
The Kendall County Fair Association did not want to comment on the situation.