The family of a nine-year-old boy who was seriously injured at Astroworld Festival is the plaintiff in the latest lawsuit filed against Travis Scott and Live Nation.
Ezra Blount was sitting on his father’s shoulders during Scott’s headlining set on Friday night when the two suddenly found themselves trapped in a crowd surge. During the chaos, Blount’s father passed out and his son fell to the ground, where he was “kicked, stepped on, and trampled, and nearly crushed to death,” according to the lawsuit.
Blount sustained severe injuries to his liver, kidney, and brain, which caused him to go into cardiac arrest. Doctors put the boy into a coma to minimize brain and heart function so the swelling can go down.
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Immediately following the festival, Blount’s whereabouts were unknown. His family eventually found him at a nearby hospital listed as a John Doe.
“During the concert, Ezra, a 9-year-old minor child, was suddenly forced to watch in terror as several concertgoers were injured and killed as a result of the crowd surge. He himself was kicked, stepped on, and trampled, and nearly crushed to death,” reads the lawsuit. “He is currently in an induced coma on life support and has severe liver, kidney and brain damage. To his young, growing body, these injuries will have life-long effects, impairing his quality of life and ability to grow and thrive.”
Benjamin Crump, the attorney who is representing Blount’s family, said in a statement: “This young child and his family will face life-altering trauma from this day forward, a reality that nobody expects when they buy concert tickets. Concerts and music festivals such as this are meant to be a safe place for people of all ages to enjoy music in a controlled environment. None of that was true about the Astroworld Festival. This little boy is currently fighting for his life, and his parents will never know the same child they entered Astroworld with.”
The lawsuit is seeking at least one million dollars in damages.
Police are still trying to determine what caused the deadly crowd surge that killed eight people and injured more than 300 others during Scott’s set at Astroworld on Friday night. Even with the investigation in its early stages, the civil suits against Scott, Live Nation, and other entities associated with the festival are coming in fast and furious. Blount’s lawsuit it just one of at least 20 filed in the last 24 hours alone.
