Thousands of people attend concerts and music festivals annually. While most concerts are generally exciting and entertaining events, they can sometimes be dangerous, resulting in serious injury to concert goers. Many factors can contribute to concert or music festival accidents and injuries.

Heat stroke is a common reason concert-goers require medical help at many concerts, music festivals, and even sporting events, but there are more serious issues that can cause concerts to turn deadly.

In 2011, tragedy struck when the Indiana State Fair stage collapsed due to strong winds, killing seven and injuring 58. In 2021, ten people were killed and thousands of people were injured at a Travis Scott concert in Houston. Though not all music festival accidents are this tragic, it’s not uncommon for concertgoers to sustain injuries in concert-related incidents.

When a concert goer is injured, they may be eligible to pursue compensation for their injuries by filing a personal injury claim or even a lawsuit against the venue, property owners, concert organizers, or other negligent parties.

However, doing so can be challenging and often requires the assistance of an experienced personal injury lawyer to ensure they get the full compensation they deserve.

How Do Concert Injuries Occur?

Several factors contribute to a concert accident at a live music event. The nature of these events — crowds of people in one area—can easily lead to an incident where injuries are sustained. Unfortunately, there are certain risks to going to these types of public events. While some injuries may be an accident, others may result from someone’s carelessness or negligent actions.

Common Reasons for Concert Injuries

Falls on stadium steps or over balconies — These falls are typically due to poor lighting or lack of safety rails. A liability claim could be filed if you’re injured because of a failure to properly maintain the premises, as is their legal duty.

Slips and falls — Spilled liquids from drinks and food are usually the culprits for this type of preventable accident. Even though these aren’t intentional acts, they could still result in ongoing pain that would end up with expensive rehabilitation costs after a concert accident.

Lack of barricades — Whether they’re in place to keep concert-goers away from the cables that surround the stage or to keep them from rushing the stage or forming mosh pits, barricades are vital.

Lack of Security— When there’s a lack of security personnel to deter dangerous activities like crowd surfing and mosh pits, concert promoters like Live Nation or security companies can be held liable. Trampling injuries occur when people in large crowds rush forward to the stage, which can cause injury or even death. Crowd surfing injuries and mosh pit injuries are also a result of poorly barricaded areas.

Poorly secured cables and cords— These are tripping hazards, causing injuries that result in serious medical bills and lost wages. They can also be responsible for falling objects.

Faulty equipment— Whether it’s an electrical fire or poor ventilation at a concert or music festival, a premises liability claim could be filed if an injury is incurred.

Liability in Concert Venue Injury Claims

The venue owner, managing partner, and other staff have a duty under premises liability law to provide a safe environment for concertgoers. If their carelessness, negligence, or failure to maintain a clean and safe space leads to someone being injured at a concert, they can be held responsible.

Suppose the venue or any of its staff are responsible for the accident that led to your injuries. In that case, you will file a personal injury claim or even a lawsuit against them to recover damages. Even if another concertgoer was responsible, the venue could still be held liable.

If a fight breaks out or a mosh pit is started, the venue could be seen as responsible if they did not provide adequate security to handle the situation. You may also be able to file a claim against the party who started the fight or the mosh pit.

This can be challenging if there is a lack of security footage or if there are witnesses with different accounts of what happened. An attorney will know how to work with you to provide the information needed to support your case to ensure you get the compensation you deserve.

Steps to Take After You Sustain a Concert Injury

There are steps you should take following an accident at a concert venue to ensure your safety and to support your case should you file a claim or a personal injury lawsuit to recoup both economic and non-economic damages. No matter what, your health and safety should always be your number one priority.

Seek immediate medical attention

Directly following the accident, you should seek treatment from onsite first aid or have emergency medical responders called to the scene.

Call the police

Make sure an official police report is filed. Even if venue staff or security say they have documented the incident and will report what happened, you should not trust that they will do so.

Gather evidence

Take pictures or videos of the scene and your injuries to document what happened. Photographic evidence is beneficial in injury cases, especially if the venue does not have security footage of what happened. You should also collect contact information from witnesses who can help support your case.

Contact an attorney

After the concert accident, contact an attorney. Avoid giving statements or information to the venue or their insurance company without consulting a lawyer. Working with an attorney who will advocate for you and get appropriate financial compensation is in your best interest.

Poynter & Bucheri Law Firm — Indianapolis Personal Injury Attorneys

If you or a loved one are injured at a concert venue such as Gainbridge Fieldhouse, or TCU Amphitheater, Poynter & Bucheri can help. Accidents at music venues are challenging, but our team of compassionate advocates knows what it takes to help victims get compensation for economic damages and non-economic damages.

Don’t hesitate to reach out — one of the personal injury attorneys at our law firm can provide a free consultation right away. Call 1-800-265-9881 for a free case review.