GE Appliance Park CEO Jim Campbell is out of the hospital after fainting and falling off the stage during an appearance by Vice-President Joe Biden at the historic facility in Newburg.
Spokeswoman Kim Freeman says Campbell was "thoroughly checked out" after the frightening fall. Campbell was seated on a tall stool atop a riser when he collapsed to the production floor below.
Freeman says it's believed Campbell's collapse was heat related. The conditions on stage were especially hot because of TV lights and because the Vice-President's staff had requested some fans be turned off so Biden's comments could be heard. Because production was suspended for the event, GE complied with the request, Freeman said.
Very large fans that resemble helicopter blades hang from the ceiling behind the stage where Biden spoke. The fans are called "Big Ass fans," named after the company of the same name based in Lexington, Kentucky.
