Ottawa Accident, Ottawa Injury Lawyer David Hollingsworth reports…Last night’s storm in Ottawa left thousands running around Bluesfest , fearing for their lives. Ottawa’s  Bluesfest came to a quick end when the main stage collapsed 20 minutes into a performance by Cheap Trick last night, after   a sudden thunderstorm violently rolled through Ottawa.

It was reported that 3 people were sent to an Ottawa hospital with serious personal injuries. Ottawa paramedics said they responded to multiple personal  injuries after the stage collapsed around 7:20 p.m., including a 49-year-old man who suffered very traumatic personal injuries including an injured abdomen, pelvis and upper leg injuries. Another man was treated for a possible spinal injury.

Cheap Trick was on stage performing at the time when the  black clouds rolled into the area and the band left the stage just moments before it collapsed.

I happen to me making my way to Bluesfest at the time and was shocked when suddenly the winds picked up, sand started flying everywhere, garbage cans were flying around, hitting cars.  My wife and I ran inside a restaurant to seek shelter and watch the mini tornado run through Preston street, causing damage along the way.

A Bluesfest spokesperson was quoted by CTV saying  ”A giant gust of wind picked up a tarp and garbage from across the field and flung it toward the audience and lifted the whole stage — where Cheap Trick had been playing — and almost like a convertible in a car, just folded it backwards in the same direction,” .

Ottawa Bluesfest concert attendees reported that the stage collapsed in seconds and seemed to get swallowed up by the wind, in less than 10 seconds. After that people started running around screaming in fear. There are many messages all over twitter reporting that the Bluesfest staff and volunteers handled the situation very well.

Cheap Trick also posted a message on Facebook saying no one in the band was suffered injuries. they wrote “Everyone is okay and we are so lucky to be alive and hope that all the fans are okay, too,” They also posted a picture of some of the destruction at the Ottawa Bluesfest scene. Obviously once the lightning was flashing, Bluesfest’s final act Death Cab for Cutie was cancelled.

Many areas in the Ottawa region were hit hard by the storm. Thunderstorms with wind gusts up to 96 km/h started around 7:30 and never really stopped. Many trees were brought down and power was lost in several parts of the city, with most of the damage from the storm was located in the Ottawa’s south and west. Still, this morning, many areas are without power. Ottawa police reported that they received 300 emergency calls in a two-hour period, in addition to those from Bluesfest.