Steve Aoki Sued for Breaking Fan's Neck in Stagediving Incident

BY Alex HudsonPublished May 19, 2015

From cake-tossing to larynx-destroying screams, Steve Aoki's shows are known to get a little wild. Now, the DJ's rowdy ways are coming back to haunt him, as he's facing a lawsuit from a concertgoer who was injured when Aoki crowd-surfed in an inflatable raft.

The incident happened back in 2012 in San Diego, CA, and now it's finally headed to trial. Aoki is said to have jumped onto a blow-up pool toy from a scaffold that was around 20 feet high. Brittany Hickman, who is suing the DJ, claims that she was trapped under the raft and broke her neck and ankle.

"He threw a pool raft into the crowd and climbed up the scaffolding to the top of the make-shift stage and then he jumped off of the stage into the pool raft," Hickman told ABC 10News [via Los Angeles Times].

Hickman apparently doesn't remember much because she was knocked unconscious, but she said, "I was trapped underneath the pool raft because they threw it out right where I was standing. My friends told me he landed on top of the pool raft, hit me on top of the head and I got knocked over."

Others were apparently knocked over too, and Hickman was carried out by security.

Hickman ended up spending three days in hospital and wasn't able to work for two months. She is also suing the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, who released her back into the concert despite her injuries.

Speaking on Aoki's behalf, representatives said in a statement, "I would never want anyone to get hurt at any of my shows and feel badly that someone has, but at this time I have been advised by my attorneys to not speak about this as it's going to trial. Thank you for your understanding."

Watch footage of a similar stage dive into an inflatable raft below.

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