Music festivals and other big, public events are a popular feature of summertime in Hollywood, Miami, and across Southern Florida. While most of these events simply result in plenty of memories, festival injuries are surprisingly common. The combination of high heat, large crowds, alcohol, and sometimes drugs can result in disaster.
Each year, people are severely injured at festivals due to assault, slip and fall and trip and fall injuries, alcohol consumption, heat related injuries, and other types of situations. Injuries range from fractures to severe and permanent injuries.
If you are planning on attending a summer festival this year, make sure that you:
- Watch your drinks: Always be careful about supervising your drinks, to make sure that no one slips drugs into them. If you need to use the washroom, have a friend hold on to your beverage.
- Go with friends: It’s more fun to go with friends and a group increases the likelihood that you have someone there to help keep you safe.
- Have a plan: Get a map of the event and plan where you will stand and watch shows. Look for areas that are less likely to be overwhelmingly crowded. Understand where you and your friends will meet if you are separated. Know where emergency tents, security, and other forms of help are in relation to the spot you choose so you know where you need to go if you need assistance.
- Dress smart: Wear shoes which allow you to move easily and clothing that allows for full mobility. If you need to get out of the way of a crowd or if you are standing on uneven ground, you are less likely to fall and more likely to enjoy yourself if you are wearing proper footwear and clothing.
- Stay sober: You are more vulnerable if you drink to excess.
- Protect yourself from heat exhaustion: Bring water, if you are permitted to, as well as sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and anything else you need to stay cool. Be aware of where water and cooling stations are and use them liberally.
- Have a meet-up spot and time: Every few hours, have a spot where you and your friends will meet to check in with each other or make sure you text each other throughout the event so if one person is in trouble you can help each other out.
Festival organizers are expected to take reasonable precautions to keep partygoers safe. This means hiring adequate security, preventing slip and fall accidents by having groomed grounds, having medics and other emergency personnel on hand, and setting up the area to be safe. When concert and festival organizers are negligent by overcrowding a venue or failing to provide adequate safety measures, they can be held liable if partygoers are injured.
If you have been assaulted or injured at a festival or any public event, contact Flaxman Law Group at 1-866-352-9626 (1-866-FLAXMAN) for a free accident consultation with a premises liability attorney in Miami. Our offices in Homestead, Hollywood, and Miami work with plaintiffs across South Florida. We can help you understand whether you have a claim and may be able to represent you in your claim.