Concerts prove to be a great deal of fun for everyone who attends. After all, the environment is entertaining, the music is usually great, and the whole thing is a fantastic way to have a good time.
Most of the time, concerts are extremely safe. However, there are occasional injuries, and you probably have heard of a few of them. Sometimes, concert goers have been trampled by others in attendance. Sometimes, stages have fallen. There have even been accidents with pyrotechnics. No matter the case, if you have been injured at a concert, then you need to seek an attorney who will help you determine who should be held liable, if they can be held liable, and what kind of damages you could seek.
The first thing you need to do is determine if your injuries are serious enough to seek compensation. If someone stepped on your foot and it got bruised a little, you likely will not be able to sue anyone. However, if you are severely injured and this results in medical bills and lost wages, then you would have a case.
You will need to prove economic damages. These would include medical bills, lost wages, and other easily countable expenses that come along because you were hurt. You can also seek noneconomic damages, like pain and suffering. These numbers will be based on what you and your attorney wish to pursue and the judge or jury could make changes to that number.
You will also need to have a good idea of what caused your injuries. If you climbed up on stage and dove into the crowd, you probably will not be able to blame anyone else. However, if you were not at fault for you own injuries, then it can be somewhat difficult to determine who is and who should be held liable in the event of a personal injury case.
Deciding who will be responsible for the liability of the case will depend on a number of factors. The landowner’s liability for the injury only goes so far. For example, there was a past case in which a teenaged girl was raped inside a vacant building on the property. In this case, the landowner was responsible because they are required to make sure all vacant buildings are closed up so that such things cannot happen. Additionally, the landowner would be responsible for ensuring the property is safe. If a concert goer were to fall because of a hole in the ground and break their leg or ankle, then the landowner could be held responsible too.
In most cases, however, a third party will be held liable for the accident or injuries. For example, this could be the event coordinator, the venue planner or even the artist who is performing. In 2011, the country band, Sugarland, was performing when the stage collapsed, killing seven people. 17 different parties were considered defendants in the case and a settlement was reached, meaning those defendants had to pay out to the families of those who died and to the 100 people who were injured. The defendants in these cases are usually the event owners or planners specifically.
When it comes to injuries at a concert, foreseeability plays a very important role in what will happen during a civil case. The simple definition of this is that someone, whether the performer, the concert venue, or the planner, with an ordinary level of intelligence would have been able to anticipate the danger. This then creates negligence.
This has come up a number of different times in past cases and if it is ruled that the accident was foreseeable, then anyone who should have been aware of this can be held negligent.
Finally, many injuries at concerts happen due to third parties, which means someone could be injured because of another concert goer. There may have been fights, trampling, or even occasional accidents involving drunk drivers. In these situations, when third parties are responsible for the injury, who is held liable can depend on many different factors.
For example, if the venue owners or planners were aware that someone was drunk and disorderly, then they should have been responsible for ensuring that person was removed. As a result, they could be held liable. However, if the venue owner or planner had no idea of the problem or had no way of knowing about it, then it could be that the actual third party is held liable.
Of course, if you are attacked by a person at the concert or if they were to hit you with their car when drunk, then they could also be held on criminal charges, such as assault. In these cases, the criminal charges will not pay money to you. Those are two separate things. A criminal case will involve charges brought against the person and they could face jail time, probation, or fines.
Concerts can be a great deal of fun, and they are normally safe. You could spend your life going to concerts and never be a victim of injury. However, injuries do happen, and they are almost always linked to negligence on someone’s part. If you are injured in one of these accidents, then you do need to understand that you could have a personal injury case against someone who can be held liable.
However, as with any personal injury case, it can be somewhat hard to prove fault. It takes an attorney who is experienced with these types of injuries and cases so that they can offer you the best possible outcome. There are a number of different things that could have an impact on your claim and how it is handled. If you have been injured, seek medical help immediately and then find an attorney to represent you. Concert injuries can often be very serious, so you will require compensation for the accident including medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.