The first night of the sold-out Astroworld Festival ended in tragedy,—9 concertgoers were killed and hundreds more injured in the deadly crowd surge while event organizers, performers, and law enforcement officials failed to shut the festival down as chaos erupted. With unsettling events unfolding just beyond the stage, Astroworld organizer and headliner Travis Scott continued to play out his set for an entire 37 minutes after officials declared the concert a mass-casualty incident.
So why did the show go on? What caused the deadly crowd surge in the first place? And who can be held responsible?
To offer solace in the form of answers, Award winning Personal Injury Attorney Andrew Yaffa of Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen spoke to Prime Time Crime host Katrina Daniel on “Travis Scott’s Astroworld Concert Tragedy.”
First, Attorney Yaffa pressed on how the tragedy was foreseeable and preventable. He noted that the blame, the legal liability can be spread between numerous parties, from event organizers and performers to security guards, to the police, the fire marshal, and even the city.
“Before the concert even went forward, they knew there were problems,” Attorney Yaffa said. “And they still let this thing go forward. And unfortunately, there are so many people that paid the ultimate price—and this was just countless, senseless losses. It’s horrible.”
Attorney Yaffa also narrowed in on Scott’s own role in inciting the crowd.
“He has the ability to not only incite [the crowd], but also calm them,” Attorney Yaffa said, referencing the few seconds when Scott did stop the show to acknowledge an ambulance in the crowd. The lights went up; the chaos stopped.
Sadly, however, Scott decided to continue his performance. And his fans ultimately paid the price.
“This is almost like the perfect storm, because you have one party after the next after the next that failed to do what they could and should have done,” Attorney Yaffa said on Prime Time Crime. “And together it resulted in just an absolute crazy, chaotic scene that never should have happened.”
Listen to Attorney Yaffa’s full legal analysis of the Astroworld tragedy here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prime-time-crime/id1523680334?i=1000541452161.
Our attorneys at Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen were deeply saddened to learn of the tragedy at Astroworld. We send our solemn condolences to the bereaved families of those lost that night. And we hope the hundreds of injured concertgoers have a speedy recovery.
If you would like to speak with a national attorney, contact Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen online or at (866) 629-1061.
