‘Hanging on for dear life’: 3 people hurt after part of row of bleachers falls at NH speedway

A section of one row of bleachers gave way during an event at Star Speedway in Epping, New Hampshire Sunday, sending three people crashing down, according to the Epping Fire Department.

The bleachers are made of wood, and Epping Fire Chief Ken Berkenbush said a rotten piece about 12 feet long let go while spectators were sitting on it.

“I was sitting there, I heard the snap, look to my right and literally saw a woman go straight down on her back about 10 feet to the ground,” said Matt Lewis, who witnessed the incident. “A guy fell and was hanging on for dear life, and hanging there and I was holding on to him when finally two guys from below got him.”

Witnesses said three people sitting several feet in the air became wedged in between the broken wood.

“We were watching the race, heard a cracking noise and I looked to my left and a lot of people were jumping down on the ground from the stands to aid assistance to the people that fell through,” said John Spofford, who witnessed the incident. “The boards, they get old, they break. They’re painted well and sometimes you can’t see the board might have cracks or something in it.”

Berkenbush said the race stopped, the section of bleachers was shut, and people were cleared out after the incident.

Sky 7 HD flew over the speedway Monday, showing the new piece of natural colored wood replacing the piece that broke.

In a statement on social media, Bobby Webber, the Owner of Star Speedway wrote, “I want to apologize for the people that were sitting in the area where two bleacher boards broke…The town Fire Department came and closed that section while the two boards were replaced. After that the Town of Epping Building Inspector checked the repair and told us we could reopen the stands. It was not a structural issue, it was the wood.”

Berkenbush said the injuries the three people suffered were minor; the worst was a cut to a finger.