Music festivals tend to be summertime staples that bring music lovers together for days of entertainment. Sadly, these popular festivals are not always the safest environments. A California family is seeking compensation for their daughter's death, and they have blamed the music festival she attended for premises liability, negligence and her wrongful death.
The 19-year-old student showed up to the Hard Summer Music Festival on Aug. 1, 2015, but she never made it back home. At one point, she was given what she believed to be Ecstasy, but it was in fact the much more dangerous drug, bath salts. When she began to show very common symptoms associated with an overdose, the festival medical stations could not treat her properly due to inadequate training. She was ultimately transferred to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead.
As part of their lawsuit, the parents allege that the music festival officials should have been aware that drugs are commonly consumed during such events, and they likely ignored the signs of drug usage in order to continue capitalizing on attendees. This refusal to acknowledge what typically goes on at festivals apparently resulted in only four medical tents set up to tend to over 65,000 attendees. Had officials taken charge and provided more medical stations with adequately trained staff, they believe their daughter likely would have survived the night.
For most people, the idea of premises liability tends to focus on slippery floors or other dangers that pose immediate, physical harm. In reality, people in California have the right to respect reasonably safe environments when going onto another person's property, including well-lit properties and adequate security in areas that might otherwise be unsafe. Failure to provide such an environment or to warn individuals of hidden risks can result in property owners being held responsible for injuries and even deaths that occur.
Source: NBC Los Angeles, "Family Sues Music Festival After Daughter's OD", July 27, 2016