June 17, 2013 - Phuket, Thailand. A poorly built stage canopy and adjacent speaker towers fell-over during high winds at Paphan Hin public park. One person seeking shelter near the stage was crushed and killed instantly by the weight of the speakers that fell on him. The stage was erected for a Prison Fair where furniture and other goods fabricated by the prisoners are sold to benefit them.
Witnesses say a 62 year old man that was a motorbike taxi driver, Mohammad Poksakul, sat near the stage and when a 60 kph wind gust pushed the canopy sideways, it forced the 10m tall speaker tower over, which in-turn, fell on to him and killed him.
 |
| The victim lies covered-up, stage canopy at right, stage left speaker tower in background. |
 |
Toppled Speaker Tower at Stage Left - Note lightweight scaffold framing.
The base does not appear to haven any anchor plates. |
 |
| View of Stage Right Canopy Supports - Note that they only provide vertical support - no lateral stabilizers, the base was not anchored to the ground. The orange straps appear to have been guy-lines that tore loose from their attachment points. |
|
Concert season is windy season everywhere. Be alert to bozos that do not understand how to secure the stage. Be alert to promoters that don't evacuate the area when storms approach.
No comments:
Post a Comment