Barred doors killed 21
At least 21 people confirmed dead. Another 50 seriously injured. Trampled and suffocated inside a Chicago nightclub. How could this happen?
Authorities are still piecing together the tragedy but early reports indicate that two women were fighting. Someone released pepper spray and a panic spread among the 1,500 people crowded into a second-floor dance club. They ran for the doors only to find many of them locked or blocked. The bodies piled up, crushing and suffocating those on the bottom of the pile.
Firefighters had to use sledgehammers and tools to pry open the doors. Even then the unstacking of bodies was difficult as people were wedged together.
How could this happen?
This isn’t the first time people have died in stampedes. First-come, first-serve concert seating was abolished after 11 people were killed in December 1979 in a crush to get into The Who’s concert.
Fire marshals in small towns and large cities have warned against the dangers of packing more people into buildings than they can safely hold and especially about keeping exits open. For club owners and managers to ignore these warnings is criminal.
Undoubtedly, those who were injured or lost family will file lawsuits. But it shouldn’t stop there. Authorities must consider criminal charges against those who contributed to the deaths by sealing off a packed building.