5 Tips If You're Injured at a Concert or Music Festival
One of the best things about summer is the wide variety of summer concerts and music festivals available, especially here in Florida where the weather is sunny and tourists are likely to be out in force. Whether you like to rock all night and snap to the sultry sounds of smooth jazz, one thing remains the same. Concerts and music festivals aren’t just fun, they’re full of hidden ways to get injured.
Paramedic Malcom Moss has seen it all. Most of the injuries are crowd injuries (that is, injuries sustained as the result of one or more members of a crowd getting out of control). He’s seen stiletto heels embedded in people’s heads and even people injured by flying glow sticks. That’s right… those little plastic glow sticks can actually cause injuries when hurled at the right speed. There are also a lot of what Moss calls “dance fractures,” chief among them being ankle injuries.
But there are also injuries caused by simple things, like glass on the ground, staring into the sun too long and suffering a fall as the result of vertigo or even asthma attacks caused by too much dancing.
The reality is, anytime you attend an event where there will be a lot of people, there’s a higher risk of injury. But the people in charge of the venue still have the responsibility to reasonably protect you from those injuries, including having employees with the authority to pull someone off the dance floor if they’re engaging in risky or dangerous behavior.
If you’re injured at a concert or music festival, remember these five tips for getting all the info you need in case a personal injury lawsuit becomes your only option. Remember, just because you think you’re OK today doesn’t mean permanent damage hasn’t been done.
5 Things to Remember if You’re Injured at a Concert or Music Festival
1. Make note of who injured you.
It’s best to put together a timeline while the event is still fresh in your mind. If you wait a few days, you may forget things or even lose access to valuable witnesses. As soon as humanly possible, write down everything you can, including the who, what, when, where, how and why. If possible, ask witnesses for their names and contact information.
2. Try and find out who owns the venue.
3. Keep important information such as contact information from witnesses it’s generally best to contact witnesses as soon as possible to get their version of events. If you are represented by a lawyer, most likely, the lawyers will want to interview them.
If anyone has video footage, ask if they can email you. You’ll want to get that as soon as possible in case they later decide the footage isn’t worth keeping. You may also be able to get footage from the venue’s security cameras, though it may be helpful to already have a lawyer to get that.
4. Keep track of damages, such as medical bills, prescription expenses, etc. — The types of damages you can consider may not be the same in all states, examples include lost earnings, medical expenses, mental anguish, pain and suffering, and more. However, it is best to keep detailed records so you can ensure to be reimbursed if that is permissible under the law.
5. An experienced attorney can help you decide whether your case is worth pursuing — Chances are, if you just cut your foot on a piece of glass so mildly that you don’t need stitches and it doesn’t get infected, you’re unlikely to get a settlement no matter how at fault the venue is for allowing the glass to stay there.
If you’ve been injured at a concert or music festival, call Draper Law Office at 866-767-4711 for a free, no-obligation consultation. We can help you with any of the steps above and then help you determine whether a lawsuit is the right step for you. Contact us today!
