‘I just started praying’: Lincoln fireworks tent collapses during storm

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The severe weather on the Fourth of July caused a scare for one fireworks tent at the Lancaster Event Center.

The Knights of Columbus from St. John the Apostle Catholic Church were selling fireworks to raise money Tuesday night, when rain and winds over 70 mph began bombarding their tent.

Member Dennis Clare said that as the tent collapsed, several people made their way out and into their cars.

“Water was just flowing everywhere,” he said. “And I got down on my hands and knees and crawled out.”

Nearly everyone made it out, but after doing a head count, Clare realized they were missing one person.

Clare then called the head Knight, Joel VanBrocklin, who was still underneath the wreckage.

“I was in the middle of the tent,” VanBrocklin said. “Just got down, started crawling because the poles were falling over. And I crawled under a table, and I could feel the pole beating against the table. And I just started praying then.”

The rest of the volunteers worked to lift up the poles and tarp to free VanBrocklin, who was “terrified” but uninjured.

“Second scariest night of my life,” he said.

He said the scariest was when he was having heart trouble from a pacemaker on low battery.

Lincoln Fire & Rescue was contacted but was called off after VanBrocklin got out safely.

The Knights spent the next morning cleaning up the remains of the tent.

They said the biggest loss will be the wet fireworks.