<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=192888919167017&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Thursday, March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024

Linkedin Pinterest

Officials probe N.H. tent collapse that killed 2

Circus company owner had previous violations over animal safety

The Columbian
Published: August 4, 2015, 5:00pm

LANCASTER, N.H. — It’s unclear why after a widespread warning of impending severe weather a circus put on its planned show in a tent that ended up collapsing in a storm, killing a spectator and his 8-year-old daughter, the state fire marshal said Tuesday.

More than 30 other people were taken to hospitals after the collapse Monday night at the Lancaster Fairgrounds.

Fire Marshal Bill Degnan said it’s the responsibility of the circus operator to monitor the weather. The show began seven minutes after the National Weather Service issued a severe-thunderstorm warning. The storm blew through about 15 minutes after that, with about 100 people inside the tent.

Spectator Heidi Medeiros, who attended the circus with her 3-year-old son, told WMUR-TV that the metal poles holding up the tent flew out of the ground and slammed onto the bleacher where they had been sitting.

Degnan said the storm cut a track of a half-mile to a mile that included downed trees while it approached the tent.

The victims of the collapse were identified as 41-year-old Robert Young and his daughter Annabelle, of Concord, Vt. An autopsy showed they died of blunt-force trauma, Degnan said.

Degnan said the operator, Sarasota, Fla.-based Walker International Events, has been cooperating in the investigation into what happened. Walker didn’t return repeated phone calls and emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Walker’s president, John Caudill Jr., has a history of violations with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, primarily while operating another company, Walker Brothers Circus Inc.

A decade ago, Caudill and his associates agreed to pay a $25,000 fine for a series of violations in 2001 while operating without an Animal Welfare Act license. The license, which allows businesses to display animals publicly, had been suspended in 1997 for other violations.

The 2001 violations, which resulted in a five-year license suspension, included failing to get adequate veterinary care for elephants with severe chemical burns and a bacterial infection and elephants with overgrown footpads and toenails. They also were cited for failing to get treatment for an elephant that was excessively thin and failing to have a proper distance or barrier between elephants and the public during a viewing.

Caudill also was cited in 1997 for not providing adequate veterinary care, failing to maintain complete records on animals and not providing structurally sound enclosures in good repair. His license was suspended for 30 days. When Caudill didn’t pay a $5,000 fine, the USDA sued him for an additional $2,700 in fines and penalties.

Loading...