Can You Seek Compensation After St. Petersburg Concert Injuries?
Michael Babboni
Personal Injury
If you are a music lover or find yourself flocking to concerts each year, you may already be well aware of the risk involved when attending these kinds of events.You are probably also aware of the tragedy that occurred at the Travis Scott Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas. A crowd surge at the festival was responsible for the deaths of nine people and resulted in serious injuries to many others.
With lawsuits stacking up against the performer, the venue, and its organizers, it shows how negligence can result in concert injuries as well as death. Can you seek compensation after a Florida concert injury? In some cases, yes.
National Fire Protection Association Standards
While this incident is one of the more recent, we must also recognize that incidents like this often happen in crowded venues. For this reason, companies rely on strict safety protocols that must be followed.
For example, National Fire Protection Association Standards has provisions that limit the number of people you can have per crowd manager, along with the following:
• A life safety evaluation is required if the occupant load is expected to exceed 6,000
• There must be litigation when large numbers of people are involved
• There should be contingencies in place in the case of potential severe weather conditions, expected crowd behavior, hazardous materials, medical emergencies, and civil disturbances
• Emergency Action Plans must be put in place with building details, training, evacuation procedures, etc.
• If people are gathering in a space of up to 10,000 square feet, the occupant load cannot exceed more than one person per every 7 square foot
• Finally, there should be one crowd manager per 250 people
Common Causes of Florida Concert Injuries
Some research has been conducted regarding how injuries and deaths occur at concerts, festivals, and other similarly crowded venues. Most of the time, the blame for these accidents falls on the negligence of the event managers, who have disregarded basic safety protocols to achieve higher profits.
Some of the more common causes of injury at these events often include the following:
• Violating safety standards. They failed to comply with fire safety codes, health codes, or building codes.
• Staffing violations. The venue failed to provide the appropriate number of staff members to work the event. Or, they fail to follow through with criminal background checks for those they do employ.
• Alcohol service. Some venues over-serve alcohol to guests, putting them at high risk of injury to themselves and others, especially in a crowded venue like a concert or festival.
• Not enough security. Failing to employ adequate security for the event can also lead to premises liability claims. Additionally, failure on the venue's part to search for guns and other weapons and drugs.
• Property hazards. If there are broken guardrails, scaffolding, or flooring, it can all lead to serious injury to the guests.
Pursuing Damages
Most injuries at concerts are often the result of clear negligence. However, some cases may not be this clean-cut and straightforward, making it harder to recover damages. You may be waiving certain rights just by purchasing the ticket when you attend an event. Many tickets will include a waiver of liability as a purchasing condition.
However, even if this is the case, you may still be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Some of these waivers are not enforceable or may not meet legal requirements.
If you were injured in an accident and are unsure if you can collect damages, consult with an experienced Florida injury attorney. They can guide you through the process and determine if you are entitled to any compensation.