Church Christmas Drama-actress falls 25ft 2 death

[StMark]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1098291/Tragedy-Christmas-actress-plunges-25ft-death-horrified-audience.html



Tragedy at Christmas show as actress plunges 25ft to her death in front of horrified audience

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 4:44 PM on 19th December 2008
Comments (30) Add to My Stories Tragic: Keri Shryock, 23, died in hospital


An actress in a Christmas pageant who was suspended 25 feet in the air by an overhead rope fell headfirst onto a concrete church floor and died.
Keri Shryock, 23, and two other performers were playing wise men on their way to Bethlehem before about 2,000 spectators during Wednesday night's opening performance at Crossroads Community Church, in Cincinnati.

The three were approaching a star when Shryock fell into an aisle in the audience portion of the theater, witnesses told The Cincinnati Enquirer.
'Toward the ending of the song she came loose,' Daniel Doepke, 55, of Middletown, told the newspaper.

'I can't describe how heart-wrenching it was, her fall to a hard concrete surface.'
Shryock was taken to University Hospital, where she died yesterday morning.
There was no immediate explanation of how the accident occurred, or if there was an equipment failure

[Sister Alvear]

that is very sad...

[Margies3]

Mark, I knew Keri Shryock. I was on several Emmaus teams with her mother, Lana and worked side by side with her dad, Paul on other Walks. You couldn't have known a finer, more dedicated Christian young lady than Keri. This is a sad, sad thing that happened. Please pray for the Shryock family. Also pray for the 2000 people who were sitting in that auditorium and watched her fall to her death. By the way, she did not die immediately. She was in ICU for almost 24 hours.

[Sam]

Crossroads is a large evangelical church in Cincinnati.
Their web site is
http://www.crossroads.net/
if anyone is interested in finding out more about the church.

[Blubayou]

Very Sad! I pray for comfort for the family and community.

[Margies3]

I'm curious, Mark. How did you get this information all the way out in California?

I am not finding fault. In fact, I am thrilled that I will be able to go Lana and let her know now that because of this forum, there will be people praying for their family all over the United States and the world - people they don't even know and who will never know them, but love enough to pray even without knowing them.

[Kay B]

Praying for this family tonight.

[StMark]

I'm curious, Mark. How did you get this information all the way out in California?

I am not finding fault. In fact, I am thrilled that I will be able to go Lana and let her know now that because of this forum, there will be people praying for their family all over the United States and the world - people they don't even know and who will never know them, but love enough to pray even without knowing them.


Hi Marg, sorry for the delay. I've been running around getting ready for our concert in the morning.

I found this story on the web. specifically the site called world net daily.
what was weird is, they had it on their site, then a while later, it was removed. I have no idea why. luckily I saved it.

that is really something that you knew here. what a horrible tragedy

[StMark]

Can you imagine being in that audience and watching this girl fall to her death?

Can you imagine how the men in the church feel that didn't secure that device that caused her death?

[Sherri]

Margie or Sam--
Who is the pastor of this church? I couldn't find it on the website.

[scotty]

Very sad .

[Margies3]

Margie or Sam--
Who is the pastor of this church? I couldn't find it on the website.

Sherri, I'm sorry I can't help you with this. I knew Keri and I know her parents, but we live in NW Ohio. This church was the one she was going to while she was in college down by Cincinnati. If Sam doesn't know, then when I see Lana, I will ask her for you. Probably after things settle down tho. She has so much to deal with right now :(

[Michael Phelps]

Sherri, I'm sorry I can't help you with this. I knew Keri and I know her parents, but we live in NW Ohio. This church was the one she was going to while she was in college down by Cincinnati. If Sam doesn't know, then when I see Lana, I will ask her for you. Probably after things settle down tho. She has so much to deal with right now :(

We will be in prayer for this family, Margie.

You know, as I look back, we did some dangerous things in our churches in years past, just working on the buildings, building sets, etc. When I pastored, we did a lot of work to our building, but having a construction background, I insisted that we work safely, getting the proper scaffolding, proper guarding, etc. However, many do not have that safety awareness.

Many of our churches now are making such elaborate sets that we really should have trained safety professionals overseeing them.

However, that aside, this is a terribly traumatic time for this family and church, and I would never criticize them, just pray for them.

[Cindy]

Praying for this family and church.

[Sam]

I don't know the name of the pastor. I've only been to that church once and that was on a week night for an informative meeting of One City (http://www.onecity.org/) which is a local organization backed by several churches (including the Vineyard).

[Esther]

We will be in prayer for this family, Margie.

You know, as I look back, we did some dangerous things in our churches in years past, just working on the buildings, building sets, etc. When I pastored, we did a lot of work to our building, but having a construction background, I insisted that we work safely, getting the proper scaffolding, proper guarding, etc. However, many do not have that safety awareness.

Many of our churches now are making such elaborate sets that we really should have trained safety professionals overseeing them.

However, that aside, this is a terribly traumatic time for this family and church, and I would never criticize them, just pray for them.

Good post MP.:santathumb

[Sherri]

I don't know the name of the pastor. I've only been to that church once and that was on a week night for an informative meeting of One City (http://www.onecity.org/) which is a local organization backed by several churches (including the Vineyard).
No biggee.....just wondered if it was anyone we had heard of. I always think of the pastor in a situation like this. Outside of the immediate family, he will probably have as much to deal with as anyone involved. I can't imagine how terrible he and the whole church much feel. Very sad!

[tamor]

I cannot imagine the horror!

[Margies3]

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081223/NEWS02/812230255

They've determined that the reason Keri fell was because she had apparently not fastened her harness completely :(