Bonfire Collapse – 10 years later

Ten years ago this morning, I was working my typical night shift in critical care at a local hospital in the Bryan/College Station area. My first awareness that something had happened at the Bonfire site was when the hospital announced that we were going on alert for an external disaster, a rare event.

My skills were re-allocated to the Emergency Department. I was proud at our preparations and ability to care for many more injured than we actually received. Unfortunately, Bonfire was the type of accident where most of the injuries (with a few exceptions) were either lethal or scrapes and twisted ankles.

I remember treating a young woman with a twisted ankle. I don’t remember her name. She told me that she was standing near one of our fallen Aggies, out of arms range. They both heard a snap and looked up. As Bonfire was falling on top of them, she felt a push that she says could not come from her fallen co-worker because he was out of reach. That push caused her to turn her ankle against a broken root in the ground and as a result, she fell against one of the cranes. As Bonfire fell, it “teepee’d” against the crane, with her safely in the created pocket, suffering from a twisted ankle because of the root.

And then there other stories. I was touched a few years ago when I had the opportunity to read, “The Chance to Say Goodbye”, by Janice Kerlee, about her being the only mother to be able to say goodbye to her child after the accident.

Bonfire was surely a pivotal event in the hearts and memories of what it means to be an Aggie, and what it means to be a part of the greater B/CS Aggieland community. It’s not enough to say, “We Remember”. How could we forget?

If you have the chance, listen today to a song about Bonfire, from local artist Ruthie Foster, ‘To the Fallen’: “They laid their hearts on the fire. Kept their eyes on the goal. So, raise your glass to the fallen.”

I’m proud of the loyalty of Texas A&M University. I’m proud of our culture. I’m proud of our destiny. I’m proud to be an Aggie Grad. I honor our legacy.

Thank you for your spirit: Miranda Denise Adams, Michael Stephen Ebanks, Jeremy Richard Frampton, Jamie Lynn Hand, Christopher Lee Heard, Timothy Doran Kerlee, Lucas John Kimmel, Bryan Allan McClain, Chad Anthony Powell, Jerry Don Self, Nathan Scott West, and Christopher Breen .

How could we forget?