![]() Later, Preston’s mother, watching the TV coverage at home, recognized something and realized her worst fear. But Preston still got separated in the crowd movement. The 19-year-old Preston, who was short and had a slight build, had locked arms with his roommate, Hart Fales said. That night, 11 young people from the Cincinnati area were crushed by the crowd outside the coliseum and died of asphyxiation. She had already seen the blue face of a helpless teen in a pile of people on the ground.Įmily Maxwell Tammy Hart Fales survived the crowd crush before The Who concert on December 3, 1979. Hart Fales said she fell in the suffocating, tight crowd and feared she would be trampled. Tammy Hart Fales and Steve Upson also attended Finneytown High and were at the concert that night. ![]() Warning: The next photo may make some readers uneasy. Rock legends Peter Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who, and the band’s manager, Bill Curbishley, also spoke to WCPO to mark the anniversary. 3, 1979, along with family members of four of the 11 victims - three from Finneytown - recently shared their stories to mark the anniversary. They were among the lucky ones that night.įorty years later, four Finneytown schoolmates who survived the tragedy outside The Who concert on Dec. And multiple people running through that same glass window.” “Got her seated,” Wergers said, “and I came back down looking for the rest of the group and that’s when I found one of our friends, Cindy Meade, lying on the floor with no shoes, her purse gone, her coat gone, crying on the floor with a pile of other people’s belongings laying everywhere. But he didn’t foresee what he would encounter next. The 18-year-old Wergers had just survived a life-or-death drama on the plaza. “I hate to say this today - sorry, police officer - I slammed a cop to get us out of the way and we went running into the show,” said Wergers, who was one of several friends from Finneytown High School gathered at the coliseum for the highly anticipated concert. Then, Wergers remembers, the duo ran through the turnstiles into the arena, where they thought British rock legends The Who had started playing. The crush of an anxious crowd pressed Matt Wergers and his girlfriend through a glass door on the Riverfront Coliseum plaza in Cincinnati. To learn more about the Who concert, click the link here. ![]() His death will forever impact the city of Fort Thomas. Due to his passing, he was never able to complete his graduation from NCC. Especially when they are as awful as this one.īryan Wagner was close to the community and was meant to graduate in 1980. Most deaths in communities as small as Fort Thomas can be shocking. In this stampede, many people were injured, causing eleven deaths.Īccording to Principal’s Office Administrative Assistant Carrie Ziegler, there needs to be better event planning, assigned seats, and more security at venues to help prevent tragedies like this. The low amounts of security caused a rush of people, due to them thinking that the concert had begun. The cause of this stampede was the soundcheck that The Who put on before the concert. I think the way they came back and paid respect was very appropriate.” Sophomore Nathan Kirst, who attended the concert, believed that the band did well at showing their respect. This consisted of things such as a tribute to all of the victims whilst the pianist played music. The Who threw in many different memorials for those who passed in 1979. “You paid and your money is going to great causes, many of which are related to what happened back here in Cincinnati in 1979, which is probably time for us to both remember and try to forge.,” Pete Townshend, the Who’s lead guitarist, spoke up about the loss of those at the 1979 concert and the many causes the profit from the concert will be going to. The Who performed again at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati for the first time since this tragedy on May 15, 2022, 43 years prior to the incident. Several others died that night, including those named Walter Adams Jr., Peter Bowes, Connie Sue Burns, Jacqueline Eckerle, David Heck, Teva Rae Ladd, Karen Morrison, Stephan Preston, Philip Snyder, and James Warmoth. Late at night, waiting to see one of his favorite bands, the Who, Wagner fell and was stepped on until the point of death. Wagner was born here in Fort Thomas and raised in town. One of those being a native of Fort Thomas.īryan Wagner was 17 years old, attending Newport Central Catholic at the time of the concert. As the band was touring in Cincinnati, Ohio, a tragedy occurred outside of Riverfront Coliseum.īy the end of the night, eleven people were trampled and killed. They brought their music around the United States for enjoyers to have fun with, however, things soon went south on December 3, 1979. The Who, a popular rock band known worldwide was formed in 1964 and gained popularity in the 70s.
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