Dozens Injured After Concrete Awning Falls at North Iredell High

IREDELL, NC– “It was just chaos, everything was going on nobody was in order, everything was just chaotic,” said North Iredell High School Sophomore, Justin Cranfill. Sophomore Justin Cranfill ran outside the gym at North Iredell High School when he heard a concrete awning outside fell trapping students underneath. “There were people laying on the ground and a bunch of EMT workers around them,” said Cranfill.

Twenty-five parents and students were taken to the hospital, three students with serious injuries. School officials say the majority of the injured were from South Iredell High School. Witnesses say a Ryder truck was filled with band equipment from South Iredell High, it pulled up hit a column and when nothing happened tried to reverse back but they say that’s when this awning here fell on students and parents. Parents and school staff immediately came to help when they heard the news.

“There’s a lot of people here trying to help and praying, it’s sad situation I’ve worked here 25 years and went to high school here so it’s pretty upsetting,” said parent, Cheryl Styers. School officials say North Iredell High School was hosting a regional band competition, eight school cancelled Saturday morning, four local schools were on site at the time of the accident.

“This originally was scheduled to be out on the football field but because of weather it was moved indoors to the gymnasium,” said Iredell Superintendent of Schools, Brady Johnson. Now the schools has construction crews working to secure or demolish what’s left of the awning before school Monday. But students say the emotional damage will take longer to repair.

“Everybody was pretty messed up,” said Cranfill. School officials have not identified the driver of the rented ryder truck. One of the three students in serious condition was transported to Baptist Memorial in Winston Salem.