The shocking details of Red Velvet Wendy's accident has been released by Dispatch based on an eyewitness account of a field staff for the show.
According to the report, Red Velvet Wendy was scheduled to conduct her first rehearsal for her solo number of Aladdin's Speechless on the morning of December 25. While the sound test proceeded smoothly, things started to go downhill when she went to the stage to rehearse.
Based on an eyewitness account, Wendy climbed to the second-floor tunnel and prepared to go down the stair but the lift malfunctioned and did not go up. This led to Wendy to lose her balance and fall 2.5 meters down to the stage.
According to the witness, there were several signs of neglect that caused the incident. First, the tunnel was dark and cramped. Second, the stair lift was not yet ready at the time of the rehearsals.
"We could've prevented the accident by just having marking tape at that location," he lamented.
While Wendy was immediately rushed to the hospital after the shocking accident, other Red Velvet members were visibly alarmed that their member suffered from such an incident.
SBS' Gayo Daejeon was one of the most anticipated yearend musical specials in Korea but because of the accident, the show became the subject of much scrutiny after fans shared clips from the performances of different idol groups which showed them slipping on the stage.
NCT's Taeyeon and Sana almost slipped on stage but BTS' V slipped briefly and caught himself at the last minute. MAMAMOO's Solar did not suffer injuries during the performance but she also slipped on an unmarked red carpet upon entry to the event, All Kpop reported.
The witness said that he was not surprised that Red Velvet Wendy's accident took its toll on the other artists.
"After the accident, several groups went up to the second-floor tunnel. After news of the accident spread, everyone had to perform with deep anxiety," he said.
Based on the last update of SM Entertainment, Wendy sustained fractures on her right pelvis and wrist and cracked her right cheekbone. It is expected that it will take months for the idol to recover from the extent of her injuries.
SBS issued an immediate apology after the incident but fandoms expressed their collective criticism over the superficial response and called out the network for endangering the safety of the artists they invited for the 2019 SBS Gayo Daejeon. Netizens expressed shock that the second-floor tunnel was still used by other artists after the accident that took place. They also called on SBS to take responsibility for its negligence.
