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August 31, 2022 | Personal Injury
Ever since the Astroworld Festival crowd tragedy in Houston, TX, in November of 2021, concert and tour safety has been on people’s minds. However, this was certainly not the first major concert disaster, and it is important to understand whether or not concert organizers can be held responsible for any injuries or fatalities that occur on their premises. Here, we want to review the Astroworld tragedy as well as safety measures put in place for our upcoming Austin City Limits Festival.
Number 5, 2021, tragedy struck the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas.
That night, as a music event unfolded featuring Travis Scott at NRG Park, the crowd began to surge forward. Scott’s appearance on stage with his first song resulted in what can best be described as a “human crush.” Even as panic set in when people realized that individuals were struggling in the crowd, the music continued, and individuals kept struggling through the surge. Individuals had nowhere to escape, and ultimately, eight individuals passed away as a result of asphyxiation the night of the concert. The victims ranged in age from 14 to 27. Two additional individuals passed away in the days following as a result of their injuries sustained that night.
Overall, approximately 2,400 individuals needed medical attention as a result of the events at the Astroworld Festival. 732 of those individuals sought extensive treatment for their injuries.
To say that Texas is weary about concerts is an understatement at this point. Music fans have expressed concern about the Austin City Limits Music Festival, the city’s signature annual outdoor music festival. Recent ACL festivals have drawn headliners like Eminem and Lizzo, and even though no violence or tragic events occurred on a mass scale, organizers and fans alike have realized that this can happen anywhere when there is not a proper plan in place.
This year, ACL runs from October 7th through the 16th, and it is very likely that concert planners have adjusted their strategy when it comes to ensuring safety for concertgoers.
There will certainly be a question about who pays for injuries or wrongful death claims in the aftermath of incidents like these. There are many entities involved in putting on larger festivals, all of which could share responsibility for a tragedy. This not only includes the entity that owns the venue, but we also have to consider that major companies are typically responsible for organizing these concerts or tours, setting up the stage area, ensuring that there are adequate “blowout” points around the area where the crowd can escape in an emergency, ensuring security for the events, and more.
After an incident like what happened at Astroworld Festival, there will certainly the investigations. These investigations will happen not only to examine what went wrong and how to prevent such incidences in the future but also so it can be determined who should ultimately be liable to pay compensation to injury victims and family members of those who lost their lives.
For an example of how complicated these claims can be, our wrongful death attorney in Round Rock can see one case here where a woman says she sustained significant injuries to her shoulder, back, chest, leg, stomach, and other parts of her body as a result of being trampled at Astroworld Festival. She has filed a lawsuit against Travis Scott as well as Live Nation, Scoremore Holdings, and ASM Global, the festival organizers.