The collapse of the east wall of the Whiting Field House affected more than just the gym.
A little over a year after the $6.9 million renovation was complete on Whiting, a crane operator suffered a heart attack and lost control of his crane as it smashed into the side of the building.
Part of the east wall was knocked down, 7 of the new 18 offices suffered damage, the ceiling of the new weight room was damaged and glass was shattered out of the trophy cases in the entrance of Whiting. The building can hold up to 2,500 people.
“There has been significant damage to Whiting and to the areas surrounding where the crane hit. As of right now the building is not safe to be in because it has not been inspected and cleared,” said Washburn Police Sergeant Alan Whitford.
Whiting is closed to anyone who is not part of the search team looking through the rubble for trapped people. The Red Cross Kansas Capitol Chapter is looking for anyone interested in volunteering and should visit their website at thinkred.org.
The University has not yet decided what the plans for more renovations to the building at this time. Washburn is extremely concerned with finding people still alive in the rubble and helping anyone injured in the accident.
“We haven’t even gave the renovation process a second thought. That is our last priority. We need to find survivors and help all those in need and reach out to their families. We are deeply sad about this event,” said Washburn President Jerry Farley.
As of now, Washburn has canceled it’s classes for the remainder of the week. School will be back in session on Monday and classes being held in Whiting will be rescheduled to another available area on campus. For more class updates visit www.washburn.edu/classupdates
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