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Astroworld: New lawsuit filed on behalf of hundreds of concert viewers

Law firm Thomas J. Henry has announced a new lawsuit on behalf of more than 280 Astroworld Festival spectators.

Ten people died as a result of crowd chaos at a Houston concert when frontman Travis Scott began performing on November 5.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, names defendants including Apple Music, Scott, rapper Drake and Live Nation, alleging they were negligent and profited “an exorbitant amount” from the event but failed chooses to “cut corners, cut costs and put festival-goers at risk.”

“Many people in the crowd were pushed to the ground and trampled, some trapped and crushed on other concert attendees, while others were crushed on metal fences,” the lawsuit says. . “The resulting catastrophic incident and carnage could have been easily foreseen and prevented if Defendants had acted with reasonable caution in planning such a large-scale festival as the Astroworld Fest. “

CNN reached out to the defendants but did not receive an immediate response. Scott said in a statement after the event he was “devastated” about what happened. He also pledged to cover all funeral expenses for the victims.

Live Nation earlier said in a statement that it was “deeply heartbroken for those lost and affected” and “will continue to work to provide as much information and support as possible to local authorities.” side as they investigate the situation.”

Drake said in a statement posted on Instagram last week that “his heart breaks for the family and friends of those who have lost their lives and anyone who is suffering. I will continue to pray for all of them. both of them, and will serve in any. the way I can.”

The lawsuit seeks $2 billion in damages for “excruciating pain and suffering, loss of income, emotional distress, and medical expenses.”

“My client wants to make sure the defendants are held accountable for their actions and they want to send a message to all performers, event organizers and promoters that what happened at Astroworld can’t happen anymore,” attorney Thomas J. Henry said in a statement.

At least 140 lawsuits have been filed related to the carnival tragedy, according to Harris County Court records.

A separate lawsuit was filed on behalf of more than 125 plaintiffs earlier this week seeking more than $750 million in punitive damages to “remediate, assist, or compensate for harm and loss caused they have to suffer”. Among the plaintiffs is the family of Axel Acosta Avila, a 21-year-old college student from Tieton, Washington, who died at the event.

WITNESSES DESCRIPTION OF EVENT AS TRAUMATIZING

Houston Fire Department logs obtained by CNN last week show spectators at the event breaking into the festival’s main gate shortly after the 9 a.m. start time, and at least eight other breaches were reported. during the day. Just before 5 p.m., Houston police reported “dangerous mob conditions” at one stage.

Minutes before Scott took the stage at 9 p.m., more than 260 people had been treated, according to the diary. At 9:33 p.m., police reported “several people being trampled, unconscious in the front.” “MCI Level One” – mass casualty incident – was reported at 9:52 p.m., according to the log.

From 10 p.m. to about 11:40 p.m., 17 people were transported to the hospital, including at least six who suffered cardiac arrest.

Alex Pollak, CEO of the medical company hired by the festival’s organizers, said this week his staff had to treat 11 people with cardiac arrest at the same time.

“This is something that I will have nightmares about for the rest of my life,” Pollak said. “The team is extremely disappointed about that. Seeing so many young people getting CPR at the same time, it’s just something that no one has to go through.”

Witnesses described traumatic conditions, some saying they saw lifeless bodies being trampled in the middle of the chaos while others struggled to find their way out of the crowd as the music continued.

“I feel like it’s the end,” said attendee Selena Beltran, as she lost her balance when a crowd around started dancing. “Thinking that was how I was going to die, I was terrified.”

“I didn’t know what to do. It happened so fast but so slowly and I didn’t have time to react. I could only scream,” Beltran added.

It’s unclear what Scott saw from the stage and whether he was aware of crowd conditions, but he continued to perform until about 10:10 p.m. Scott’s attorney said that the artist was not aware of the mass casualty announcement until the next morning.

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