By OREORITSE TARIEMI
Rappers Travis Scott and Drake have been reportedly sued following the tragedy at the Astroworld concert that left eight people dead and dozens injured.
Confirming the news, Texas firm Thomas J. Henry Law tweeted a Daily Mail story on the suit confirming that it had filed “one of the first lawsuits in Travis Scott Astroworld Festival tragedy.”
The plaintiff, 23-year-old concertgoer Kristian Paredes, was one of those “severely injured” at the concert on November 5.
Over 50,000 people were in the audience as the third AstroworldFestival held in Houston’s NRG Park when the crowd started pushing toward the stage as Scott was performing, triggering chaotic scenes.
Texas-resident Paredes, also suing concert organisers Live Nation and the venue, said she “felt an immediate push” at the front of the general admission section as Travis Scott got on stage.
“The crowd became chaotic, and a stampede began,” She continued.
“Many begged security guards hired by Live Nation Entertainment for help but were ignored.”
The suit filed in Houston’s Harris County court claims Travis Scott “had incited mayhem and chaos at prior events” and that “defendants knew or should have known of (Scott’s) prior conduct.”
It also accuses Canadian rap superstar Drake who joined Scott’s headline set, of contributing to causing the surge toward the stage.
“As Drake came on stage alongside of Travis Scott, he helped incite the crowd even though he knew of Travis Scott’s prior conduct,” the complaint charges.
He continued to perform even as the “crowd became out of control” and the “crowd mayhem continued,” it added.
Thomas J. Henry Law is not the only law firm to confirm a case against the rappers as high-profile attorney Ben Crump confirmed that he had also filed a suit against Travis Scott and Astroworld.
Specialising in civil rights and personal injury, Crump has represented high-profile clients, including the families of victims of police violence, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Alongside co-counsel Bob Hilliard, Crump filed a suit on Sunday on behalf of 21-year-old concertgoer Noah Gutierrez, who described “a scene of chaos and desperation.”
The lawyers also revealed that they would be filing more suits on behalf of other concertgoers during the week.
“We are hearing horrific accounts of the terror and helplessness people experienced — the horror of a crushing crowd and the awful trauma of watching people die while trying unsuccessfully to save them,” Crump and Hilliard said in the statement.
“We urge others who suffered physical or emotional injury or witnessed the events of that day to contact us.”
Survivors of the Astroworldstampede have taken to social media to describe chaotic scenes of people squeezed up against one another, with many struggling to breathe.
In a statement to reporters, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner revealed that the police department had opened a criminal investigation into the tragedy involving homicide and narcotics detectives.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also noted that authorities were looking at video footage and talking to witnesses, concert organisers, and hospitalised concertgoers. On Saturday, he confirmed to reporters that the eight people killed in the stampede were aged from 14 to 27, with one person’s age unknown.
The chaos at Astroworld resulted in the hospitalisation of 25 people and more than 300 people being treated on the scene for minor injuries.
Addressing the Astroworld tragedy, Travis Scott said “I’m honestly just devastated. We’re actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time.”
