Apple Inc. faces new allegations in connection with last Friday’s deadly crowd surge at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas.
In an Amended Petition filed with Harris County District Court on Tuesday, Zehl & Associates’ Houston Personal Injury Lawyers added the tech giant to the list of defendants the firm is suing on behalf of five seriously injured Astroworld attendees.
“The petition alleges that Apple’s online streaming of Travis Scott’s November 5th performance through its Apple Music Platform allegedly contributed to the dangerous crowd surge that occurred that evening,” says attorney Ryan Zehl.
The firm’s lawsuit is believed to be the first to target Apple for its alleged role in the Astroworld debacle.
Astroworld Crowd Surge Left 8 Dead, Injured Hundreds
More than 50,000 fans streamed into NRG Park for the opening night of Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival, a two-day event featuring musical performances by Scott and multiple other artists. But shortly after the Houston native appeared for his performance at 9:00 p.m., the crowd surged toward the stage, and panic ensued.
Before the night was over, eight people – including two teenage boys — were dead, and more than 300 were injured. Nearly two dozen people were taken to Houston hospitals, including 11 people in cardiac arrest. The rest were treated at a field hospital set up at NRG Park.
The dead and injured were all under 30.
Astroworld Victims Should Refuse Early Compensation Offers from Travis Scott or Others
Although Scott briefly paused his performance twice on Friday evening when it became apparent that some concert-goers were in distress, the show quickly resumed. Even after Houston officials declared Astroworld a “mass casualty incident,” Scott continued to perform for nearly 40 minutes before the concert was finally brought to a halt.
Scott has since offered to pay funeral costs and medical bills for the victims of the Astroworld tragedy. However, Zehl & Associates is warning that, for the time being, at least, victims and their families should refuse all offers of compensation from Scott, Live Nation, and other Astroworld entities, as acceptance could require that they waive their rights to file personal injury lawsuits — and recover damages for lost wages, past and future medical, mental anguish, and pain and suffering, etc. — against Scott and other released parties.
“It’s highly unlikely that anyone agreeing to such conditions will ever receive full compensation for all of their injuries and losses,” Mr. Zehl says. “Instead, we urge victims and their families to speak with a qualified attorney as soon as possible.”
Apple Live Stream Allegedly Contributed to Dangerous Astroworld Conditions
Travis Scott is known for his energetic shows and propensity for encouraging fans to “rage” and even storm the stage. He has twice been arrested for inciting crowds to do so in the past. Despite this history, the premises at NRG Park were allegedly arranged to best suit Apple’s online streaming to the detriment of concert-goer safety on the night of the deadly crowd surge.
“Apple Music had at least two cameras, camera stands, cameramen, and metal barriers surrounding each; these cameras effectively split the premises both horizontally and vertically by the metal barricades,” Zehl & Associates’ Amended Petition states.
“The placement of cameras streaming for Apple Music’s broadcast effectively limited many concertgoers’ means of exit; this dangerous condition would inevitably prevent individuals from dispersing.”
Although some attendees claim to have asked onsite security to stop the show so emergency and medical personal could reach the injured, they were allegedly told that could not be done “because it is streaming.”
“In all, more than 62 ambulances were called to Astroworld 2021 to help the victims, but relief was stalled by the sheer magnitude of the crowd, with emergency medical staff wading through the crowd for, in some cases, at least 10 minutes before reaching patients,” the petition continues.
The complaint accuses Apple and other defendants, including Travis Scott and Astroworld promotor Live Nation, of negligence and gross negligence and alleges that each failed to “exercise the degree of care that an ordinary prudent person would use to avoid harm under the same or similar circumstances.”
Contact Our Houston Astroworld Festival Injury & Wrongful Death Lawyers for a Free Consult at 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here
Our Houston Astroworld Festival Injury and Wrongful Death Lawyers have been hired by numerous festival attendees who were seriously hurt during Travis Scott’s November 5th performance at NRG Park and expect to file additional lawsuits in the coming days.
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