Crush survivors have filed a lawsuit against American rapper Travis Scott and Drake after no fewer than eight victims including a 10-year-old were feared killed and several others injured during a stampede at the Astroworld music festival in the southern US state of Texas on Friday night.
News of the first filings came after the Houston Chronicle published an article in which prominent local attorneys predicted an influx of lawsuits asking for “hundreds and hundreds of millions” in damages from the eight deaths and hundreds of injuries reported from Friday’s concert at NRG Park, reports variety.com.
Houston resident Kristian Parades, 23, has sought damages worth $1m for the injuries he says he sustained during the concert, as he accused Scott and Aubrey Drake Graham of negligence.
Patrick Stennis and Manuel Souza have also filed lawsuits in Harris County against Scott and concert company Live Nation. At least two criminal investigations are now underway into the deadly stampede which took place on the opening night of the Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas.
READ ALSO: 8 victims feared dead at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Houston
One of Souza’s attorneys, Ryan S MacLeod, said in a statement to Variety: “As proud residents of Houston, we are sickened by the devastating tragedy that took place on Friday night. Travis Scott has a history of inciting violence and creating dangerous conditions for concertgoers. In fact, he tweeted that he would let the wild ones in after the show sold out.
“He and those who promoted and supported this concert must take responsibility for their heinous actions. We intend to hold them fully accountable by showing that this behaviour will not be tolerated in our great city.
“We will be investigating this tragedy over the next few days and hope to shed light on what happened and provide answers to victims and the families of those victims. No one should ever attend a concert in fear. This must stop.”
