PEABODY — An accident at the arcade and restaurant In The Game at 155 Lowell Street left 10 people with minor injuries with eight of them being transported to nearby hospitals.
It happened during the Noon Year’s Eve celebration at the venue when employees attempted to release bundles of balloons that were attached to a large LEGO construction being displayed above the front entrance.
The display soon toppled onto the crowd below, landing on 10 guests and causing a chaotic scene with the balloons and large crowd causing uncertainty about what exactly happened.
In the following confusion, a 911 call was made, and reported to emergency services that there had been a ceiling collapse and 10 people trapped under the rumble.
According to Peabody Fire Chief Jay Dowling, the initial panic of a potential rescue scenario soon subsided when first responders arrived at the scene and assessed the situation as being much less severe than thought at first.
The incident involved four adults and six children, with two refusing medical transport and the rest with minor cuts and bruises.
Fire services were in and out in about 30 minutes according to Dowling and In The Game reopened shortly after the toppling was deemed completely accidental.
