By BILL JONES

Staff Writer

One person was taken by ambulance to a Greeneville hospital Saturday night after a section of temporary bleacher seats collapsed at Tusculum College's Pioneer Field during the fifth annual "Greeneville Band Classic."

The victim's name was unavailable on Saturday night.

Tusculum Police Officer Dustin Jeffers, who was one of the first officers to respond to the 7:20 p.m. incident, said he understood that about a half-dozen people who had been seated in the temporary bleacher section suffered minor injuries.

But only one person, who reportedly suffered a fractured ankle, was transported to a local hospital from the scene by a Greene County-Greeneville Emergency Medical Services ambulance, according to police.

Greene County Commissioner Bill Dabbs, who witnessed the event, told Greeneville Sun Staff Photographer Jim Feltman that he had heard a noise, then saw the temporary bleacher section collapse upon itself in "slow motion."

Officer Jeffers said authorities had feared the worst after Greene County 911 dispatched police, sheriff's deputies, the Greeneville Emergency & Rescue Squad and Greene County-Greeneville Emergency Medical Services to Tusculum College at 7:20 p.m. Saturday.

But when he and a reserve Tusculum police officer reached the scene, Jeffers said, all those who had been seated in the temporary bleacher section when it collapsed had already moved away from the bleachers, or been helped away.

Jeffers said it was unclear on Saturday night to whom the collapsed section of temporary bleachers belonged or by whom the section had been installed.

Classic Background

The marching band competition was hosted by the Greeneville High School Band Boosters and featured bands from 15 high schools in the region, including Chuckey-Doak, West Greene and South Greene high schools.

Other competing bands included the Cloudland, Red Bank, Sullivan East, Chilhowee, Va., Patrick Henry in Washington County, Va., Cocke County, Elizabethton, Abingdon, Va., Morristown-West, Knox Carter, Knox Powell and Johnson City Science Hill high school bands.

North Greene High School's band performed the National Anthem to begin the event at 1:35 p.m. Saturday

Greeneville High School's band was scheduled to perform an exhibition at 7:50 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 8:30.

The collapse took place shortly before the awards ceremony was scheduled to begin.

Gates to the annual event had opened at 11 a.m. Saturday.