1981 news report on the Hyatt Regency disaster in Kansas City, Missouri

This is a television news report on the Kansas City Hyatt Regency hotel disaster in Kansas CIty, Missouri, where a set of "skywalks" loaded with people collapsed onto the crowd below during a "tea dance". Includes interviews with first responders and survivors. Doctor Joe Waeckerle discusses performing the triage and climbing through the rubble with other rescue workers.

Please don't mention the name of the network, program or host in the comments.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Dr.
• Joseph
• Waeckerle
• Joe
• Doctor
• fireman
• skywalk
• sky
• walk
• tea
• dance
• walkway
• Edward
• Simmons
• Roy
• Campbell
• Chet
• Hinkley
• Frank
• Hashman
• Roger
• Tuder
• Dalton
• Grant
• Regina
• Weir
• Country Bill
• Allman

[Uwant2ReadMe]

My dad was one of the emergency personnel that worked this tragedy. I just watched this for the first time, and it made my stomach tie up in knots. I cannot imagine being there amidst all this. Hats off to all those who worked countless hours to save everyone they could.

[postingoldtapes]

@Uwant2ReadMe I know what you mean. Dr. Waeckerle is an old friend of mine, and he's been interviewed a lot recently for the 30th anniversary. He said the media afterwards was harder to deal with than the actual event. He said he got calls from other responders “It was a brotherhood of people who shared an experience,” he said. “A bonding occurs when you go through this.”

[postingoldtapes]

@postingoldtapes I just found out from Dr. Waeckerle that "Country Bill" Allman took his own life after the disaster. Not all of the victims were caught under the rubble.

[rkminnich8kid]

I had completely forgotten about this until I saw it referenced in an article about first responders dealing with critical incident stress. so sad...

[postingoldtapes]

@rkminnich8kid Where was the article? I've been working on the Wikipedia entry on the Hyatt disaster.

[postingoldtapes]

I wanted to upload this footage before the 30th anniversary. Astoundingly, not one person served jail time. A bad design, made worse via bad fabrication and bad installation...abetted by criminal negligence on the part of the inspectors.

[JavaJoelRadio]

That is terrible. Excellent footage. Almost 30 years ago.

[antjz0]

How awful for the first responders, they would have to live with the sites and sounds of the victims for the rest of their lives. Sad.

[Chibijess14]

I stayed in this hotel in 2001 while I was in high school. I walked over the existing walkway, hung out in the lobby, and so on, not having any idea of what had happened there until several months after my stay. That was pretty eerie. What was unbelievable to me was that there was no mention at all of this disaster - no plaque, no memorial, nothing at all for the 114 people who died there. Pathetic and shameful to pretend that this did not even happen.

[Spartanizzo]

aw sheeet im staying at a hyatt regency next week

[katyu16]

I remember reading about this in a german newspaper in W. Berlin back then but had NO idea how many people perished. 

R.I.P.

[kcksboy]

Kansas City, MO - HYATT REGENCY lobby Skywalks collapse and aftermath, one unforgettable, life-altering event, esp. for those present 30 yrs ago for an early-evening Tea Dance, horrific for family members of those killed, maimed and critically wounded. We were there one week to the day prior, treating her brother and his wife at the fabulous dessert bar. We noticed shoddy exposed electrical work on the lower walkway; were quite dismayed such a beautiful "people place" would open like that .

[KOHF34]

2:16. You don't even want to believe that only moments later all those people on the walkway and below them would be dead.

[kuwinsitall]

I was born in '82, so wasn't alive at the time, but this story is still very sad. What are the odds, though, of any of us being taken out by some catastrophe like this? It's just mind-boggling to think that by walking across the room to get a drink could save your life. The universe is a cold, uncaring place. Thank goodness for what luck we do have staying alive each day!