Concert Injury Lawsuit Filed Against Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Venue

A personal injury lawsuit filed against rappers Snoop Dog and Wiz Khalifa seeks damages on behalf of 17 concertgoers who were allegedly injured when a railing broke during a concert in New Jersey. Authorities reported 42 people were injured in the collapse earlier this month. Plaintiffs assert the incident happened when rappers began summoning fans to move closer to the tiny stage, at which point dozens of attendees were trampled and pinned to the ground. concert1

Among the injuries some allege they sustained: Broken bones, loss of consciousness, torn ligaments, torn tendons and emotional trauma. One even suffered a fractured spine, according to court records.

The Associated Press reports the plaintiffs include 14 concertgoers as well as three employees. The employees would be unable, per workers’ compensation laws, to sue their own employer, but they could potentially hold third parties accountable if those individuals or entities contributed to their injuries. Attorneys for the plaintiffs insist the defendants – including the performers – didn’t take appropriate precautions to protect the crowd. 

As one plaintiff attorney explained, this was a concert set up on a lawn. There were no chairs and there were no aisles. Further, there was a reported lack of security. The performers were then motioning for the crowd to get closer, and as one lawyer explained, that combination of facts created a serious problem.

The entity that operates the venue announced after the incident that it had “secured” the railing section that had fallen. A representative stated the company was working with authorities as well as its own structural engineers to piece together the cause of the railing collapse, and in the meantime, a safety zone has been established to block a section of space between the crowd (at future concerts) and the railing. Plaintiff’s lawyers said the reconfiguration is a “post accident admission” that the new set-up was the way it should have been structured all along.

Following the accident, the artists were called off stage and the concert had been canceled.

Incidents like this aren’t necessarily common, but there have certainly been enough of them over the years for our Miami personal injury lawyers to know the basic precedent for prevailing. Basically, it comes down to foreseeability. At the core, these types of cases are premises liability, and what the court will want to review evidence that indicates the defendants, as individuals of ordinary intelligence, should have anticipated the dangers that these acts created for others.

Some elements injured parties may want to consider:

  • How serious were the injuries incurred? Plaintiffs usually need to be able to show they suffered some degree of damage that affected their daily lives, at least temporarily. Broken bones, a fractured spine and emotional injuries – these are all things that could have short- and long-term consequences.
  • What caused the injury? Plaintiffs have to be able to show the defendant was liable. Here, individuals were crushed by the crowd. But what caused the crowd to press forward the way it did? Should the defendants have anticipated this? Where there reasonable actions they might have taken to mitigate that danger?

Miami is a major hot spot for concerts and other live entertainment events. If you are injured at these venues, contact an experienced injury attorney to help you determine whether you have a case.

If you have been injured at a Miami concert, call Chalik & Chalik at (954) 476-1000 or 1 (800) 873-9040.

Additional Resources:

Lawsuit filed over railing collapse at Snoop Dogg concert, Aug. 24, 2016, By Megan Trimble, Associated Press

More Blog Entries:

Safeco Ins. Co. v. Fridman – Proving Wage Loss Damages After Car Accident, Aug. 22, 2016, Miami Personal Injury Attorney Blog

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