A Lego display at a crowded Massachusetts arcade collapsed Tuesday afternoon when employees set off a New Year's balloon drop, injuring 10 people, including eight who were sent to the hospital.
The shocking incident, caught on camera during In The Game's “Happy Noon Years” event on Lowell Street in Peabody, Massachusetts, stunned the crowd of revelers.
In a video obtained by NBC Boston, the crowd cheered and cheered before the balloon was released.
But once the barrage fell, it took with it a display of Legos assembled in what looked like an old-school arcade game — which then fell directly onto spectators dozens of feet below.
Peabody police said ten people were injured. Eight of the injured were taken to hospital, while two refused medical transport. It is unclear whether any of the victims were children.
“I didn't know anyone was hurt until afterward,” Keegan O'Blins, 13, told NBC Boston.
He added that it took a minute for the audience to understand what had happened, and that the loud collapse had already hurt people at the sold-out event.
“Then I got kind of worried and everyone started evacuating the place and then an ambulance showed up,” he said. “And a fire truck. Then the stretcher came out.”
Crews cleared the scene by 12:45 p.m
Another video posted on Facebook showed the network of balloons tied to a Lego display – collapsing due to the weight of the balloons being pulled, causing the Lego display to fall.