A concertgoer found herself fearing for her life when an awning collapsed at a Backstreet Boys concert in Oklahoma on Saturday.
Rhonda Dunn was one of the hundreds of concertgoers that gathered at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma on Saturday to hear the Backstreet Boys perform alongside 98 Degrees, but when severe storms rolled through the area, she found herself fearing for her life.
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“All that I saw was the large scaffolding coming down, and all that I remember after that is that it collapsed on top of my head and I was trapped underneath it,” Dunn recalled the harrowing incident to TMZ, explaining that those trapped beneath the structure were screaming for help.
Dunn, along with more than a dozen others, became trapped beneath the awning after extreme weather rolled through the area at around 5:30 p.m. local time, bringing with it 70 to 80 miles per hour winds that knocked down the concert trusses. Dunn credits her survival to her fellow concertgoers, who rushed to help those who were injured.
“They just all came and started lifting it up,” she explained, adding “I thought I was going to die right there, and I was just praying to God to get us all out.”
After being freed from the collapsed structure, Dunn explained that there was a scene of “very well controlled chaos,” with both paramedics and the fire department present and tending to the 14 individuals who had been injured. While some were treated at the scene, Dunn, along with several others, were rushed to a nearby hospital.
Following the incident, both WinStar World Casino and Resort and the Backstreet Boys announced that that concert had been postponed to a later, yet to be determined date.
“We have been looking forward to a great show with the Backstreet Boys and 98 Degrees for many months,” the WinStar said in a statement. “While we were excited to welcome them to The Colosseum at WinStar, the results of serious weather in the area has caused the show to be postponed to a later date. Our primary concern is the safety of our patrons, event staff and artists and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused ticket holders. We will notify patrons of the new date and time. Tickets to the August 18 show will be honored at the new date.”
Although she suffered compression fracture on her spine, a bump on her back, and sore spots on her head, Dunn said that has every intention of attending the rescheduled concert once it is announced and plans to “be right back there in the frontlines, absolutely.”
