Indiana State Fair tragedy

On an emotional level, my life is richer because of this experience. I’m stronger than I was before because of what I’ve been through. I’ve had to face challenges that the average person doesn’t have the opportunity to overcome.

Reflecting on his experiences with interviewing survivors and others affected by the Indiana State Fair tragedy in August 2011, executive editor Evan West speaks today with 93.1 host Steve Simpson. Audio from their conversation appears here at right. Simpson himself was one who reacted quickly on the ground to report the stage rigging collapse on August 13, 2011, just before the country band Sugarland was to take the stage.

“My daughter is hurt!” the mother yelled, desperate. A stranger appeared and made a tourniquet for the girl, and then a woman who said she was a nurse and a man who said he was a doctor carried her away. Trust us, they said.

I had been going back to the night of August 13, 2011, time and time again, in quick succession. And I was shaken.

WTHR-TV will be honored for its broadcasts with two National Edward R. Murrow Awards on October 8. The coveted prizes recognize outstanding “electronic” journalism at the national level and in TV and radio markets both large and small. Representatives from the station will receive the awards at a ceremony in New York City.