- A crowd safety expert said that the chaos at the Astroworld Festival by rapper Travis Scott was “preventable.”
- On the first night of the Houston event, at least 8 people were killed and hundreds more injured.
- The expert said that the organizers let people flood into the “known danger zone” in front of the stage.
- For more stories, please visit Business Insider.
A crowd safety expert said that the surge in crowds at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival on Friday should be blamed on the organizers, not the concert audience. Killed eight people and injured hundreds.
Paul Wertheimer, founder of Crowd Management Services, told Insider that the fatal surge was “a preventable disaster.”
“People in the crowd are victims because the organizers and those who approve the event put them in an uncontrollable situation,” said Wertheimer, who specializes in concerts and festivals.
Houston officials said Saturday One 14 years old and one 16 years old Among the dead. The crowd is biased towards young people-the oldest person reported to have died was only 27 years old, and five minors were hospitalized with injuries.
Officials said that about 50,000 people attended the event. Shortly after 9:30 p.m., the crowd “started squeezing toward the front of the stage, which caused some panic,” Houston Fire Chief Samuel Penha said at a press conference.
Wertheimer told Insider that the organizers failed to properly manage the crowd that night. He said that because the people attending the concert generally believed that the organizers had taken appropriate security measures, the Astroworld participants moved on to the stage.
“People want to stand in front of the stage where the artist is, so they tend to move forward. If you don’t manage the crowd, people will be crushed,” Wertheimer said. “[Organizers] The event is allowed to become overcrowded in front of the stage, which is a known danger zone. “
Astroworld Festival did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
“They are used to feeling guilty about what happened, even if it’s not their fault”
The Houston Police Chief announced on Saturday night that his department has opened a criminal investigation into the fatal incident, and the homicide and anti-narcotics department is investigating.
Wertheimer said fatal incidents related to crowds do not usually end in criminal prosecution.In fact, Friday’s surge is not the first time that Astroworld concert audiences have been injured-at least in 2019 Three people were trampled into the hospital While working hard to enter the festival.
Travis Scott-whose real name is Jacques Webster-was also arrested and charged in 2015 Encourage fans to jump over Lollapalooza’s roadblocks, A pop music festival held in Chicago, Illinois.
“One of the reasons these disasters continue to occur is because no one is held criminally responsible for such gross negligence,” Wertheimer said. “The only people who are exploited are young people who have been cultivated in popular culture to accept this. And usually, they are cultivated to accept guilt about what happened, even if it’s not their fault.”
Wertheimer even suggested that artists like Scott take some responsibility for the safety of their concerts.
“No one wants anyone to die at a concert, but people create an environment where people can die. This includes artists,” Wertheimer said.
“Yosemite” rapper Statement on Saturday Say “he was completely destroyed” and “committed to working with the Houston community to heal and support families in need.”
The organizers of Astroworld also expressed similar views, saying that they are “Focus on supporting local officials. “ The organizers cancelled Saturday’s event.
Video display from the event Crowds rushing into the park through the VIP entrance Dance with others Ambulance top In the middle of the crowd.A distressing video Post on Twitter Shows that an unconscious person is being carried away by medical staff.
Madeline Eskins, an ICU nurse who participated in the event, said that after she passed out and woke up in the medical area, she assisted the medical staff to deal with other patients.she Tell the insider The medical staff “don’t know what to do.” Other people attending the festival said they had difficulty breathing, and the staff and security guards ignored their calls for help.
“I think I have a panic attack, my heart is racing, and I can’t breathe… and the security of the event doesn’t help much,” said Jennifer Hernandez, who participated in the event. Tell Joshua Zitser from Insider“The situation is really bad. People are just squashed. There is no air.”
