Concert Injury
- What is a Concert Injury?
- "What Duties Does a Concert Organizer Owe the Persons Attending the Event?
- What Should You Do if a Loved One is Injured in a Concert Accident?
- "Should I Contact a Lawyer if a Loved One is Injured in a Concert Accident?
What is a Concert Injury?
Whether you are attending a concert in Cleveland, Lakewood, or elsewhere in Ohio, Ohio law applies, along with local building code requirements. Thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths have occurred as a result of the failure to maintain crowd safety at concerts, festivals, and even nightclubs throughout the U.S. Typically, injuries can result from the following:
- Crowd crush
- Uncontrolled overcrowding in festival seating areas
- Uncontrolled common spaces where large crowds gather
- Exceeding the capacity of entryways, exits, ramps, stairs and the like
- Lack of safety barriers meant to limit crowd movement
Concerts and musical festivals should be enjoyable occasions. Concert organizers should take some rather simple steps to ensure a safe experience for concert goers. Back to top.
What Duties Does a Concert Organizer Owe the Persons Attending the Event?
In general, concert organizers have a duty to provide a reasonably safe and secure venue for those attending a concert or festival. This includes a duty to properly assess the various safety features at venues, to determine in advance what level of force is likely to be asserted by the crowd density projected at an event, to ensure that appropriate signage and announcements are used at an event to ensure crowd safety, to assess where choke points are likely to be for an event and to provide adequate space at those points, and to recognize that the crowd will be at its most dangerous at the end of en event and thus to ensure that adequate controls are in place to handle the crowd at its largest. Back to top.
What Should You Do if a Loved One is Injured in a Concert Accident?
Obtaining prompt medical attention is of paramount importance. If the injury a loved one has suffered is serious, it may be appropriate to call 911 and have him or her taken to the hospital immediately. Typically, the concert venue will arrange for transportation to the hospital. If an ambulance is not necessary, it still may be wise to take your loved one to the emergency room that same day or at least have him or her see your family doctor as soon as possible.
A critical aspect of any case where an injury has occurred is the investigation of the circumstances surrounding the injury and the preservation of evidence. This is particularly important in a concert setting where the one-time event is over and memories quickly fade. The investigation typically involves an examination of the scene of the injury while the evidence, such as the location or condition of the premises or any equipment involved, is still fresh. It is sometimes necessary to notify the concert venue of its obligation to preserve evidence or even obtain a court order to ensure that relevant evidence is preserved.
Often, governmental investigators are involved as well. Where that is the case, it is important to contact and establish a relationship with those investigators as soon as practical.
Finally, identifying witnesses, securing their cooperation, and obtaining their statements as to what they saw or heard, as well as background information about the environs of the concert venue, should also be done as soon as possible.
Because of the importance of a quick assessment of the surrounding facts, an investigation of the circumstances of the injury, and preservation of relevant evidence, you should consider retaining a qualified attorney experienced in working with personal injuries of all sorts and knowledgeable about investigations of concert injury situations. Through its experience in working with experts in numerous medical specialties as well as accident reconstruction, defective equipment, and a host of other areas, Brown & Szaller can bring tremendous expertise to bear and obtain for you the recompense that you deserve.
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Should I Contact a Lawyer if a Loved One is Injured in a Concert Accident?
It is important to seek legal assistance from a lawyer with experience in the type of injury your loved one has sustained as soon as possible after the accident. Your lawyer will need time to obtain witness statements and gather a variety of information that is necessary to prosecute your case. The earlier you contact a lawyer, the greater your chance of obtaining a strong recovery either through settlement or if you have to file a lawsuit for compensation. With adequate time, an experienced lawyer can strengthen the case, emphasizing favorable facts while fortifying weaknesses in the case.
An experienced lawyer will know the general contours of information required to strengthen your claim for compensation. Thus, you increase the likelihood that you will prevail in your case and you increase the amount of compensation you are likely to recover by retaining a lawyer with experience in auto accident cases. An experienced lawyer, such as those at the Brown & Szaller law firm, will meet with you, listen to what you have to say, explain your legal options, gather the critical facts, obtain and review medical reports and witness statements, and help you decide upon the best course of action. Brown and Szaller lawyers will guide you through a complicated process involving insurance issues, pay back (subrogation), the amount of coverage and whether your own coverage applies. Do not trust the at fault parties insurance carrier. Brown and Szaller has handled numerous car accident cases to successful conclusion.
The lawyers at Brown & Szaller will meet with you for a free initial consultation. Even if you are unsure whether you have a claim for compensation we will discuss the facts of the case and your options and together determine the viability of your case with no up-front charge. Back to top.