y Kron heard the thud and braced for the worst Saturday morning.
As a line of children waited for their turn riding a circus elephant at the Pepsi Coliseum, the 8,300-pound pachyderm brushed against a nearby platform and portable stairway, knocking it over.
A Murat Shrine Circus worker fell from the top of the 6-foot stairway used to load and unload passengers, and about a dozen children aged 8-12 were knocked around in the confusion — but no one was seriously injured.
The platform wasn’t damaged, the show went on without interruption and the Asian elephant returned to give rides during intermission of that same show, said Kron, marketing and public relations chairman for the circus, which the coliseum is hosting this weekend.
“Just to show how minor it was, there was a line of people to ride the elephant at that intermission who were there when it happened,” he said.
“We will continue to offer elephant rides throughout the weekend and are confident in the safety of those rides.
“I have been in this business 21 years, and this is the first time anything like this ever happened. We are considering it a freak accident.”
Indianapolis firefighters were called about 9:45 a.m. to the coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E. 38th St.
All of the injured were treated at first-aid stands at the fairgrounds.
“One paramedic likened them to injuries you might see on a playground. Bumps and scrapes.” said Indianapolis Fire Department spokeswoman Rita Reith.
The circus continued as scheduled with three performances Saturday. It concludes today with shows at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Courtesy of Joey Ratliff
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