ACCIDENT AT BLACKPOOL

[Canjoline]

Just heard from friends that were there for Pastoral day that Blackpool show was cancelled at about 12:35 as the catering tent came down and people were hurt...... Best in show tent almost came down too. They say it was horrendous. There were people that were in the catering tent hurt but not sure how many.

Love Pauline

[kimpossible]

Oh god! I hope no one was hurt badly! Was it the wind that caused it?

[Canjoline]

*************************permission to crosspost this ************************

This was on the beardie forum


Blackpool show was abandoned at about 12.30 after the catering tent was ripped to pieces and practically took off.

Earlier than that one of the beams in the best in show ring cracked and one of the posts was lose. They decided against taking it down as this would have been even more dangerous than leaving it where it was with three tractors attached to it to prevent it taking off.

The first announcements came very early (about 10 am) when they told all breeds judging outside to go into the wet weather rings and from then on they were announcing every few minutes that people should keep to the outside of the show ground and go nowhere near the centre and not to cross the showground. At about 11 am they started asking people who had been
judged to leave the showground. The wet weather tent we were in (Bearded Collies and Border Collies) was getting noisier and increasingly blowing around through out the morning.

At least one person was injured when the catering tent went, I saw an ambulance head for the tent with sirens going and then it passed on the road, away from the showground still with sirens going. There was also a dog - I think a Pharaoh Hound possibly from a caravan or stall? - lose on the showground, I think in the carpark. Any suggestions that they were not making announcements is totally wrong, they were making announcements every few moments and were doing everything they could to get people to safety. I overheard one chap arguing with an official who was trying to prevent him going towards the catering tent whilst it was coming down. Absolutely ridiculous when they were trying to keep him safe.

[wol]

omg this is really awful ...............but how typical of the few to start arguing with officials when they are trying to keep people safe. This really winds me up sorry but if that particular man had been hurt then we would have all heard how nothing was done to prevent it happening. God it really gets me mad when I hear about people like this .................Sorry but I needed that little rant!!! xxx

[Canjoline]

I feel the same he would have soon complained if he was hurt and no one had warned him about the dangers

[Canjoline]

If you click on the link it shows photos of the damage

http://www.highampress.co.uk/info.asp

[kimpossible]

Oh crikey! It was windy on friday and I know people were complaining about the wind in the caravan site all week. Have you any idea how the caravans held up? There were loads of them with dogs in them on friday.

[Canjoline]

No Idea kim but would think that lots were going home today

[MITCHELLA]

oh my god! i just pray no-one or no dogs have been seriously hurt, what a mess :shock: :o :shock: like kimberley said it was pretty windy on friday but as the day went on it seemed to get better, this is the worst ive seen ever at a show, im blessed i was lucky enough not to have been there but my heart and thoughts are deffinetly going out to all those who were there, ill cross everything and hope all are ok xxx

[Bunch]

OMG - never seen anything like this!!! I hope whoever was hurt was not hurt too badly. Any object thrown due to severe winds can come at you at full force and I dont think some people realise what the full extent could be so for this silly man to argue as he did, was a total idiot. Could he not see it was for his own good?? This type of person gets right up my nose!!! What did he expect to accomplish - martyrdom :? :x
Anyway, I hope nobody was too severely injured xxx

[kimpossible]

Just read this from one of the blackpool newspapers and thought i'd post it here:


3,000 flee as gale fells dog show marquees


Shocked witnesses have told how thousands of people fled in panic when giant marquees came crashing down at a Lancashire dog show in 60mph gusts.
Four people were taken to hospital when the metal-framed marquees were ripped from their moorings on Westby Road near Wrea Green on Sunday.

Police and officials had to evacuate 3,000 people from the Blackpool Dog Show site as paramedics treated the injured.

Three giant marquees were ripped apart, with one left strewn across a nearby road.

Eyewitnesses have spoken of scenes of "chaos" as people clambered over fences to escape.

Phil Fairhurst, 27, who lives on Westby Road, said people were jumping over his back fence to flee the flying marquees.

He said: "We heard the thudder of the metal falling down. They were climbing over the fence to get in and we opened the gate for some of them.

"We saw people running down the field. It was a freak wind.

"Everyone was shouting and dogs were barking."

Police said one person suffered cuts and bruises while a second was treated for a suspected dislocated shoulder.

A cook in one of the damaged marquees suffered second degree burns when he was scolded by hot fat and another man had a suspected heart attack.
They were all taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

Yvonne Burgess, 82, from Freckleton, arrived at the show just as ambulances were arriving.

She said: "It was chaos. People were running everywhere and it was really frightening. They were trying to get out as fast as they could but others didn't know what was going on.

"One marquee was across the road and they were trying to keep others from blowing away. Police were moving everyone away. Some people were being taken off to ambulances.

"It's just lucky no-one was seriously injured."

The Blackpool and District Canine Championship show, organised by Preston-based Steve Hall, had expected to draw crowds of up to 25,000 people over three days.

He said: "There must have been around 3,000 people with 3,000 dogs there yesterday. It's 12 months work wrecked in five minutes - disappointing is an understatement.

"It's very sad, people came from all over the country to show their dogs, but the main thing is nobody died."

Almost 10,000 dogs had been entered, with the Best In Show award set to be announced until the show was abandoned at 1pm.

[Parisaire]

This is so horrible, I am glad no-one was seriously hurt or died and same goes for the dogs, I think I'd be more sad for the dogs strange I know but they are so helpless at times - sorry if this is a strange view on things.
Better luck next time.

[Canjoline]

This is an account from the lady who won Dog CC in Boxers. It's a very vivid account.

Although this should have been one of the best days so far, of my showing career, it will probably stay in my mind for ever as the day we nearly died!! I do not think I have ever been so terrified for myself or my family + Todd.
Once the judging was halted due to the terrible windy conditions at Blackpool, I stopped to thank the Mr Habig for awarding Todd the CC and to collect the ticket, which had been left on the table awaiting further details to be added, along With Barbara Morrison (Xandene) (reserve ticket winner) and also my husband. A gentleman was frantically telling us to vacate the huge marquee as soon as possible, I looked over to my bench and saw my son and his friend looking in my direction with urgent expressions.
I saw people grabbing their stuff and dogs. I told my husband to collect the ticket from the table whilst I ran to the bench to
retrieve Todd and the children. As quickly as we could, we got the dog off the bench, dismantled the bench front and loaded everything into bags, I gave Todd to my son to put on his walking collar and lead, we stood up, everything in hand and my son said I have put the collar on wrong ! I dropped the bags and readjusted the collar, as I stood back up, the huge tent peg bases, which hold down the guide ropes for the marquee, were ripped from the ground by the wind and swung upwards high into the air, at this point I cannot be exact as to what happened, I remember people screaming and running, I grabbed the boys and held them down infront of the bench, my sons friend held the bench front over our heads as huge poles and metal
plates and foot long stakes swung around our heads and poles javelined through the air, the wind blew and everything rose to the air again, I grabbed the boys and yelled RUN NOW, a young lady who benches opposite me (affix- leigharac) was in the same predicament as us, she ran and pushed my sons friend out of the tent infront of her. As I ran, Todd ran in the opposite direction, as by now the metal plates were swinging back in our direction, he was terrified, I told my son to run and I went back for the dog, during this a massive pole on a rope came crashing back down to earth smashing into the bench where Todd had been caged not a few minutes before hand! I yelled at Todd to stop and come, which thankfully he did , I grabbed
his scruff and dragged him back to the exit, where metal objects were still flying round on the end of ropes and you didn't have a clue whch way they were heading, I grabbed the show bag on the way, as a footing plate narrowly missed us, it was like running the gauntlet for your life, my son ran back in the marquee to help me drag the dog out, we all collapsed outside the marquee. A lady came to help us who I am very thankful to (whoever you were) as my son had been hit by one of the iron bars on his arm, at this point he collapsed on the floor , went as white as a ghost and went into shock. I heard shouting and my husband had just realised what was going on and was frantiaclly running towards us, I shouted at him to stand still as yet again the wind had catapulted the metal plates into the air, as it tangled itself up he made a run for it. I understand the young girl Leigharac (affix ) , was hurt also, but think she helped get my sons friend out of the marquee. I hope she is ok, as we speak often, but I have never asked her name. We gathered ourselves up and headed away from the tent as emergency
services turned up, I still did not have my CC in hand, but was thankful we came through that ordeal alive. How no one was killed or seriously injured, is by the grace of God. My son says if he hadn't have put the collar on the wrong way and held us up for that 10 seconds then we would have been ripped to pieces, by the flying metal. He is proably right. He is only fourteen and is still badly shaken by the whole ordeal and hardly said a word on the five hour drive home.He says he feels sick when ever he thinks of it. His friend admitted that he has never been as terrified in his life or thought that he was going to actually die before today.

All excitement of winning the ticket, had gone, also the dissapointment at the bitch judging not being finished and the final
challenge for BOB. So instead of driving home on cloud nine, we all drove home subdued and with our own thoughts of what could have and nearly did happen.

Clare Lock

CLARRICKS BOXERS UK

[kimpossible]

Oh god, it just gets worse. I'm glad no one was killed, and by the sounds of it, they were very lucky no one was killed!

I wonder what will happen with the rest of the judging and the bis?

[MITCHELLA]

all those poor pooches and folks must have been terrified, i know i wouldve, i just hope this terrible incident doesnt put people or there dogs off from showing, someone or something was surely looking after those there as no-one thank the heavens was seriously hurt or worse xxx

[dieselsmummy]

Thank God nobody was killed..how shocking.

[MITCHELLA]

im gonna cross everything and hope the rest of the shows go smoothly
last year flooding, this year gales
hope there isnt gonna be anything else xxx :?