Got Hurt at a Concert or Festival? Someone Might Owe You Money
You went to have a good time, but you got hurt instead. Whether you were injured at a concert, car show, music festival, street fair, or sporting event, you’re probably wondering if someone else is responsible and what you can do about it. The answer is yes, you may have a legal claim. Event organizers, property owners, and vendors have a legal duty to keep you safe. When they fail, and you get injured, they can be held responsible for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
If you were hurt at a community event, concert, or festival, we can help. At Knez Law Group, LLP, our Riverside personal injury lawyers can investigate your accident and find who is responsible.
Common Accidents at Large Events
Large gatherings create safety problems. When you pack thousands of people into one space and add alcohol, temporary structures, and excited crowds, the risk of injury goes up.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are the most common event injuries. Spilled drinks, food on the ground, muddy areas, and temporary flooring create hazards. Event staff often can’t clean up these messes quickly enough. Uneven surfaces, poor lighting, and unmarked obstacles send people to the emergency room all the time.
Crowd Injury Accidents
Crowd crush incidents have made headlines recently. When too many people pack into a tight space, people can get seriously hurt or killed. The 2021 Astroworld Festival in Houston left 10 people dead and hundreds injured when the crowd pushed toward the stage. Poor crowd control, not enough security, and failure to stop the show when it became dangerous all played a role in that tragedy.
Parking Lot Accidents
Parking lot accidents are another big concern. Car fans gathering for shows sometimes drive recklessly. Spectators get hit. Burnouts go wrong. According to the National Safety Council, parking lots see thousands of pedestrian injuries each year. Large events make these areas especially dangerous.
Stage and Equipment Accidents
Stage and equipment collapses cause terrible injuries. In 2011, the Indiana State Fair stage collapse killed seven people and injured 58 others when high winds knocked down the stage rigging. The investigation showed that organizers ignored weather warnings and didn’t evacuate the area.
Food Poisoning and Heat Exhaustion
Food poisoning and heat illness affect more event attendees than most people think. Numerous studies continue to find that temporary food vendors at festivals injure numerous people every year. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke send hundreds to hospitals during summer concerts and outdoor events each year.
Who Is Legally Responsible?
Figuring out who is at fault after an event injury can be tricky because several parties may share blame. Understanding who is responsible is the first step toward getting paid for your injuries.
- Event organizers have the biggest responsibility. They must plan for risks they can expect, hire enough security, inspect the venue, and respond when dangerous situations happen. If an organizer sells more tickets than the venue can safely hold or doesn’t have an emergency plan, they can be held responsible for injuries.
- Property owners must keep their property safe. This means fixing known problems, warning people about dangers, and making sure structures are built correctly. A venue owner who allows an event on their property even though the parking lot has huge potholes could be responsible when someone trips and breaks an ankle.
- Security companies and their workers can be sued for doing their job poorly. If not enough security allows a fight to happen and you get hurt, or if security guards use too much force, you may have a case. Security companies must hire good workers, train them properly, and watch what they do.
- Vendors and contractors who set up booths, stages, or equipment have their own duty to keep people safe. A food vendor who doesn’t tie down their tent properly, and it blows over and hurts someone, can be held responsible. Equipment rental companies that provide broken stages or barriers may also be at fault.
- Other attendees who are drunk or reckless can be personally responsible. If another concert-goer attacks you or a driver doing donuts in the parking lot hits you, that person is at fault. However, if the event organizer didn’t provide enough security or stop dangerous behavior, they may share the blame.
Why You Need a Riverside Personal Injury Lawyer
Event injury cases are rarely simple. Large gatherings often involve multiple companies, complicated contracts, and big insurance policies. Event organizers and property owners have lawyers protecting them. You need someone protecting you.
An experienced Riverside premises liability attorney knows how to investigate these cases. They can find all the parties who might be responsible, including ones you might not think of. They understand how to deal with insurance companies that use tricky tactics to pay you less.
Lawyers handle the legal deadlines and paperwork that can ruin your case if you miss them. They talk to insurance adjusters who are trained to get you to accept less than your claim is worth. If a fair settlement can’t be reached, they take your case to court.
Most personal injury lawyers work on contingency, meaning you pay nothing unless you win. This makes it fair when you’re up against defendants who have a lot of money.
Contact Our Riverside Personal Injury Lawyers
Getting injured at an event you went to for fun is frustrating and wrong. You didn’t ask for this, and you shouldn’t have to deal with it alone. Event organizers, property owners, and vendors have legal duties to keep you safe. When they fail, the law gives you a way to get paid.
Don’t let anyone tell you that injuries are just part of going to events or that you accepted the risk by being there. While you do accept some normal risks, you don’t agree to let people be careless. You have rights, and a good personal injury attorney can help you use them. The sooner you reach out for legal help, the better your chances of building a strong case and getting all the money you deserve.
Knez Law Group, LLP is proud to represent injured clients in the Inland Empire, Orange County, and Los Angeles. For help after an injury accident in Riverside, contact our personal injury law firm today or call us at (951) 742-7681 for a free initial consultation and review of your case.
Matthew J. Knez graduated from the University of Redlands in California with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing. He then pursued his law degree at the University of La Verne College of Law in Ontario, California, where he earned various awards, including the CALI Award in Torts, and was on the Dean’s List. During his time in law school, Mr. Knez was a member of the Justice and Immigration Clinic, working with individuals seeking asylum in the United States from countries where they faced persecution or threats of persecution. Additionally, he was an Associate Editor for the Law Review and published an article on California family custody move-away cases. Learn more here.