Structural collapse attorneys note another tragic and deadly accident related to strong storm winds. Our hearts are with the victims and their families after this disaster. A tent that had been set up outside Kilroy’s sports bar in St. Louis collapsed just before 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon after a gust of wind ripped tent poles from the ground. Around 200 people were inside the tent at the time of the collapse. Kilroy’s patrons had been celebrating the St. Louis Cardinals’ victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at a nearby stadium.

Downtown St. Louis, the site of Kilroy’s, had been under a severe thunderstorm warning at the time the tent collapsed. Reportedly, a strong gust of wind suddenly hit the tent and pulled it from its foundations, sending part of the tent collapsing into a nearby elevated railway. The strength of the wind shattered the tent’s aluminum poles as it sent the tent and much of its contents airborne.

Debris went hurtling through the air after the blast. The speed of the deadly wind gust registered at more than 70 mph. Our structural collapse attorneys point out that the sports bar tent, which reportedly possessed a valid permit and met safety standards had passed a city inspection just a couple of weeks previously. The tent was designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 90 mph.

Parts of western Illinois and eastern Missouri spent parts of Saturday evening under severe thunderstorm and tornado watches. A tornado watch for downtown St. Louis expired prior to 7 p.m.

The tent collapse injured 100 people, and 1 man died in the collapse of an apparent heart attack. 17 people were hospitalized and 4 of them were initially listed in critical condition. Among the more minor injuries were many bruises, sprained ankles, and cuts.

A deputy fire chief in St. Louis cautioned that tents are by their nature temporary structures, and never a safe place to be during severe weather. The tent collapse has raised questions about safety and standards relating to the large tents that often go up in St. Louis for special occasions and sports-related gatherings.

A spokesperson for the St. Louis Mayor’s office said that it remains unclear whether adequate safety regulations were in place and were being followed on the day of the deadly tent collapse. He mentioned that they needed to know whether the tent had been modified since its inspection, and speculated that the injuries could simply have been the result of people not paying sufficient attention to severe weather warnings.

Our structural collapse attorneys realize that especially in areas that have entire seasons filled with severe weather, people do tend to become used to the phenomenon and ignore weather warnings. Read our structural collapse attorneys’ discussion regarding recent deadly weather-related outdoor structural collapses and what to do about them.

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