More than a dozen people were injured on Thursday night after a stage collapsed during an Indiana public high school theater performance , sending students plummeting 10 feet into an orchestra pit . One of the victims suffered critical head trauma as the stage fell half-way through a song during a sold-out showing of American Pie at Westfield High School . The calamity occurred at the worst possible time - just as dozens walked on stage for the finale . 'All of a sudden , everyone was gone , ' one parent from the audience told RTV . Terrible : Tragedy struck Thursday night at an Indiana high school 's performance of the musical American Pie . Buckled : Just as the entire cast danced on-stage for the finale , the platform beneath them collapsed . Shocking : The performers plummeted through the wooden riser in a spectacle so unbelievable that some audience members initially believed it was choreographed . Nicola Gruszka , a student who was singing in front of the stage when the platform behind her gave way , said they had previously practiced the song with the same number of people with no issue . 'We thought the worse thing that could happen on that song is that someone could miss their cue , ' she told Good Morning America on Friday . After the students behind her plunged into the orchestra pit , she was so shocked that she was unable to move , she said , and was still holding the microphone 30 minutes later . Another student , Sam Greathouse , told GMA that he jumped into action . 'As soon as the stage went down I just hopped up and started pulling people out of the hole , ' he said , adding that students 'really came together as a unit in that moment ' . More than 12 people were hurt and least one person was critically injured , a spokesman for the Westfield Police Department said on Thursday evening . But the two students told GMA that they had heard the critically-injured student was doing much better by Friday . 'The worst ones are comparatively mild to what could 've happened , ' Miss Gruszka said . Some performers walked out of the pit , which was estimated to measure some 10 feet , but others required more serious medical care . The packed house , seen before the tragedy , was asked to keep calm during the confusing aftermath . The drop from the top of the wooden riser to the floor was likely around 10 feet . Many of the witnesses who 'd never seen the show were n't initially sure if it was part of the performance . The confusion did n't last , however , as it soon became clear that a terrible accident had occurred . Screams and gasps can be heard in video taken of the incident , which shows all but the lead singer vanish in the middle of the song Do n't Stop Believin ' . 'Some parents rushed the stage area , ' audience member Mandi McKinley Brown told IndyStar . 'Most of us stayed in our seats to stay out of the way . People were lifting large pieces of the stage out of the pit from on top of the kids . ' According to student Zach Rader , an administrator then addressed the crowd and asked for calm before asking any healthcare professionals to come forward . Witnesses : Nicola Gruszka , left , was singing in front of the stage when it collapsed behind her , while Sam Greathouse , right , helped to pull students out of the hole . They appeared on GMA on Friday morning . 'We have some seriously injured people , ' Westfield fire chief Joe Lyons . The musical 's lead guitarist , Blake Camden , was not among them . He said he stepped away after noticing something about the stage was n't right . 'When all the performers rushed the stage , I saw the floor was starting to bow a little bit and I stepped to the left and the stage collapsed , ' Camden , a senior , told RTV . ' I saw 20-30 of my friends fall in . ' Chris Baldwin , who works in human resources for the high school about 20 miles north of Indianapolis , said the students fell into the orchestra pit below . Cameron Snyder , 18 , a senior at Westfield , was watching the show . When the stage collapsed , a mass of people ran toward it , trying to help their loved ones , Snyder said . Scene : The incident occurred at Westfield High School , pictured on Friday as students head back to class . Back to school : Police said on Friday that the dozen students hurt in the collapse are 'doing really well ' ' I was just in a state of shock , ' he said . Injured students were taken to at least three different hospitals , Hollowell said . School officials aid class would be held as usual on Friday but that counselors would be on site for students who might need counseling . The incident evoked memories of a 2011 stage collapse at the Indiana Stage Fair that killed seven people and injured nearly 100 . High winds toppled rigging and sent the stage roof onto fans awaiting the start of a concert by the country duo Sugarland .
An Indiana public ##ized performance of American dances ended in tragedy Wednesday when a riser buckled just as dozens danced on - stage . More than a dozen people were injured at the Westfield High School and one student was taken to a hospital in critical condition . Students said there had been no issues when they previously practiced the dance on the stage with the same number of people .