Wood Dale: Tent collapse investigation 'going to take some time'
Wood Dale police say it will take time for authorities to determine why a large tent collapsed in a strong gust of wind Sunday, killing one and injuring 22 others at the city's Prairie Fest celebration.
“We've done a full investigation in conjunction with the (DuPage County) sheriff's office but we have reached no conclusion of anything yet,” police Chief Greg Vesta said Tuesday. “I think that's going to take some time and probably some experts to ultimately determine if that tent was properly installed.”
A 35-year-old Wood Dale man, Steven Nincic, was killed when he was struck by a pole as the tent collapsed, authorities said. The father of two was at the festival with his wife and children.
Police said the fast-moving storm struck around 2:35 p.m., sending fest participants scrambling for cover. Nincic and others took shelter under the fest's music tent.
Vesta said one of those injured in the tent collapse was a Wood Dale police officer who was standing inches from Nincic.
“Everyone's still very emotional about this. It's a tough time for everyone because everyone feels terrible about what happened,” Vesta said. “And we're realizing that it could have been anyone. It could have been more. Thank God it wasn't.”
City officials on Tuesday directed all calls to city attorney Mary Dickson. Dickson said the tent is owned by and was installed by a private vendor. She did not know if the vendor had worked with the city previously.
Dickson said the city has no permit process in place for such tents so there was no structural integrity inspection.
“In this case, the city only inspects the electrical connections in the tent,” she said.
Louis Cairo, an attorney for the Nincic family, did not return calls Tuesday.
Several family members declined to comment Tuesday and asked that the family's privacy be respected.
Vesta, meanwhile, said the city canceled its National Night Out observance, which had been scheduled for Tuesday night.
“Out of respect to (Nincic) and the other victims, trying to coordinate another large festival right after this tragedy didn't seem appropriate,” Vesta said. “I made the decision that we'll regroup for another time, but two days after a tragic death just wasn't appropriate to have an event.”