Fourteen concertgoers and three employees from Camden, NJ's BB&T Pavilion filed a group lawsuit today (August 24) in Philadelphia against Snoop Dogg (a.k.a. Calvin Broadus) and Wiz Khalifa (a.k.a. Cameron Thomaz) after being injured at a stop on the pair's "High Road Tour" this month when a metal railing collapsed.
The incident took place on August 5, with the lawsuit alleging that the rappers encouraged concertgoers to come rushing towards them as they performed on a secondary stage surrounded by the crowd. A railing that separated one side of the audience from a roughly 10-foot drop to the ground had snapped, leaving many to fall onto the concrete below. A security guard was apparently left with a fractured spine after being crushed by the falling crowd members.
"Our clients, and many others who attended the concert, were seriously injured because of the negligent conduct of the defendants who failed miserably in their duty to protect the audience and workers from harm," said the victims's lawyer Robert J. Mongeluzzi in a statement. "Today's filing begins the legal process where we will prove that all of those responsible knew that the 'second stage' located behind the main seating was positioned directly beneath the lawn area and lacked barricades, seats, or aisles which would have prevented crowd surge."
While 17 victims have banded together in this lawsuit, more than 40 victims were reportedly sent to hospital in the incident.
The list of injuries from the various plaintiffs also includes "six concussions, one fractured vertebrae, a fractured collarbone, two head wounds closed with staples, broken bones in the wrist and foot, and numerous lacerations, contusions and recurring head and neck pain."
For the case, lawyers Mongeluzzi (of Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky, P.C.) and Steven G. Wigrizer (of Wapner Newman, P.C.) will be representing the victims.
According to a lawyer Jeffrey P. Goodman (of Mongeluzzi's legal team), "Mr. Broadus and Mr. Thomaz incited and inflamed the crowd by yelling for everyone on the lawn to rush toward a flimsy railing, which was all that separated the fans from the dangerous drop off and the poorly placed second stage."
Snoop and Wiz aren't the only defendants named in the case, with the suit also listing concert promotion giant Live Nation as responsible for the injuries, having hosted the event. The company, along with the rappers, are said to have "failed miserably in their duty to protect the audience and workers from harm," according to Mongeluzzi.
Lawyer Andrew R. Duffy (of Mongeluzzi's legal team) said, "Live Nation was ultimately responsible for ensuring that its guests were safe and secure. There is no excuse for Live Nation permitting a clearly hazardous stage configuration within close proximity to a clearly inadequate railing above a steep six-foot drop off onto a concrete walkway. It does not take an engineer to conclude this was danger to concertgoers."
The terms of the lawsuit's demands have yet to be revealed. As of press time, neither Snoop nor Wiz Khalifa has responded to the allegations.
You'll find some fan-shot footage from the incident down below.
The incident took place on August 5, with the lawsuit alleging that the rappers encouraged concertgoers to come rushing towards them as they performed on a secondary stage surrounded by the crowd. A railing that separated one side of the audience from a roughly 10-foot drop to the ground had snapped, leaving many to fall onto the concrete below. A security guard was apparently left with a fractured spine after being crushed by the falling crowd members.
"Our clients, and many others who attended the concert, were seriously injured because of the negligent conduct of the defendants who failed miserably in their duty to protect the audience and workers from harm," said the victims's lawyer Robert J. Mongeluzzi in a statement. "Today's filing begins the legal process where we will prove that all of those responsible knew that the 'second stage' located behind the main seating was positioned directly beneath the lawn area and lacked barricades, seats, or aisles which would have prevented crowd surge."
While 17 victims have banded together in this lawsuit, more than 40 victims were reportedly sent to hospital in the incident.
The list of injuries from the various plaintiffs also includes "six concussions, one fractured vertebrae, a fractured collarbone, two head wounds closed with staples, broken bones in the wrist and foot, and numerous lacerations, contusions and recurring head and neck pain."
For the case, lawyers Mongeluzzi (of Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky, P.C.) and Steven G. Wigrizer (of Wapner Newman, P.C.) will be representing the victims.
According to a lawyer Jeffrey P. Goodman (of Mongeluzzi's legal team), "Mr. Broadus and Mr. Thomaz incited and inflamed the crowd by yelling for everyone on the lawn to rush toward a flimsy railing, which was all that separated the fans from the dangerous drop off and the poorly placed second stage."
Snoop and Wiz aren't the only defendants named in the case, with the suit also listing concert promotion giant Live Nation as responsible for the injuries, having hosted the event. The company, along with the rappers, are said to have "failed miserably in their duty to protect the audience and workers from harm," according to Mongeluzzi.
Lawyer Andrew R. Duffy (of Mongeluzzi's legal team) said, "Live Nation was ultimately responsible for ensuring that its guests were safe and secure. There is no excuse for Live Nation permitting a clearly hazardous stage configuration within close proximity to a clearly inadequate railing above a steep six-foot drop off onto a concrete walkway. It does not take an engineer to conclude this was danger to concertgoers."
The terms of the lawsuit's demands have yet to be revealed. As of press time, neither Snoop nor Wiz Khalifa has responded to the allegations.
You'll find some fan-shot footage from the incident down below.
@NBCPhiladelphia @Q102Philly @wired965philly pic.twitter.com/mgDGoZnLfQ
— Łast♢K₩een (@ESPO_YMCMB) August 6, 2016
Yikes! This just happened at the Wiz and Snoop concert.. pic.twitter.com/Vlp5Fk23Xt
— Karen Civil (@KarenCivil) August 6, 2016
