Although concerts and other events can often be places of great fun and entertainment, they can also be potential sites of risk and injury. A recent case, in which a fan fell on another spectator at Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom during a concert, is just one recent story suggesting the danger audience members can sometimes face at some of their favorite venues. In these unfortunate accidents the injured party really needs an experienced New York personal injury lawyer to obtain justice and the financial compensation due them.
The Hammerstein Ballroom case particularly illustrates how neglected safety standards in a crowded area can leave another person with life-long injuries. A lawsuit centered around the event brought by The Edelsteins, Faegenburg & Brown suggests that alcohol was at least partly to blame in the fall that resulted in the injury. Another factor sited was the lack of adequate guardrails on the upper levels and balconies. Lax security was also cited as the falling fan had not been prevented from standing so close to the balcony guardrail prior to the fall and for allowing him to leave the venue without being identified or questioned. Not sited in the suit but a possible contributing factor is the type of band that was performing. It was a Grammy nominated French electronic music duo Justice. Electronic music has been linked to the use of the new and potentially deadly “designer drug” Molly. There were reports that there were ambulances stationed outside the venue, which given the age of the audience, were presumably there in anticipation of alcohol/drug overdose cases. This past August there were 2 deaths from the drug Molly on the first night of Randall Island’s Electric Zoo, a 3 day electronic music festival, forcing the event to be cancelled.
The force of the drop from the balcony area of the venue also caused extreme impact and force to the other spectator’s body, which resulted in victim having serious spinal and leg injuries. The fan who fell 3 levels from the upper balcony apparently was not injured as he got up and walked out unassisted from the concert hall. He remains an unidentified party who is cited in the suit as “John Doe”. The injured party, a 24 year old man who works at B & H Camera, was there as a last minute invitee, his friends date could not attend. As a result, Yosef Allen, the injured party, has had 2 reconstructive surgeries and faces possible neurological complications.
Injuries at Large Events are Nothing New
Injuries at large events are nothing new in history, and when disaster strikes under these circumstances, the results can be deadly. There are numerous stories of the mass panic at concerts resulting in injuries and death due to stampeding and suffocation. At a concert by rock band The Who in 1979, for example, eleven fans were killed when a crowd rushed the stage, and twenty-seven other fans were injured by the crowd. The main problems relating to injury in many of these circumstances are the lack of adequate security, dangerous physical conditions at the venue, and/or the availability and use of alcohol/drug by the venue’s audience members. Intoxication not only causes people to act recklessly but also impairs motor functions setting the stage for disaster.
Contact The Law Firm of Edelsteins, Faegenburg & Brown, LLP
New York City personal injury attorneys The Edelsteins, Faegenburg & Brown offer decades of personal injury law experience for people injured due to irresponsible other parties’ negligence . Glenn Faegenburg & Paul Edelstein, the firm’s top personal injury attorneys have been successful in numerous cases where their client’s safety was ignored or disregarded by the other party. With two offices in the New York City area, one at 61 Broadway in Manhattan and the other at 26 Court Street in Brooklyn, the firm offers cutting-edge legal advice to victims of these tragedies and expert representation in proceeding with legal suits. Contact the law office of The Edelsteins, Faegenburg & Brown at (212) 425-1999 for a free consultation.