Paul Dalton, a 27-year-old construction worker from Caryville, Tennessee, fell 84 feet to his death from a steel truss hanging above the arena floor on May 15, 1985. The accident occurred as Dalton, who worked for ABC Contractors of Nashville, was working on the roof. In order to be able to move across the beam, he was not wearing safety equipment at the time. ABC Contractors was a steel subcontractor for the initial arena contractor, B. B. Anderson Company. The State Department of Labor cleared ABC and Anderson of fault one day after the accident occurred.