Posted On August 8, 2016 Current Events and News

Railing Collapse at South Jersey Concert Venue Leaves Dozens Hurt

On Friday, 42 concertgoers suffered injuries – some serious – at Camden’s BB&T Pavilion. Now the injured need answers.

When fans across South Jersey and beyond bought tickets to see Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa this past Friday, they had no idea they’d also witness a shocking accident.

A railing at the BB&T Pavilion on the Camden Waterfront collapsed during the show. It sent dozens of concertgoers toppling from the edge of the lawn onto the cement walkways below – and, in many cases, into each other.

If you haven’t seen the videos on NBC News yet, it’s horrifying to watch the cascade of bodies suddenly tumbling down. The drop was reported to be “several feet” – and with so many people falling onto each other, the initial impact with the concrete wasn’t the only way the victims got hurt.

While some of those hurt suffered just bumps and bruises, dozens sustained broken bones and needed to go to the hospital. One person sustained “critical injuries” and was rushed to nearby Cooper Trauma Center. This victim was hospitalized overnight and released Saturday, according to reports.

Our thoughts are with all of the fans who got hurt in what must have been a terrifying experience. We wish them all a speedy – and more importantly, a complete – recovery.

Legal Aspects of Concert Venue Accidents

When you visit a massive entertainment venue like the 25,000-seat BB&T Pavilion (formerly Susquehanna Bank Center), you don’t expect railings to collapse and dozens of people to plunge 10 feet to land on hard concrete.

You shouldn’t have to worry about accidents like this happening – ruining not just your concert experience but your life.

An accident like this isn’t something that just happens. Something caused it to occur – and often, that something is negligence.

Whether a venue fails to maintain the property safely or fails to provide security to prevent dangers caused by crowds, negligence puts people’s health – and perhaps even their lives – at risk.

Those who were hurt in this accident need to know that they have legal rights, including:

• The right to hold the property owner legally responsible for the accident
• The right to seek compensation for their injuries and other damages resulting from the accident
• The right to find out the truth about how and why this occurred

Preventing Accidents at Entertainment Venues

With more than 40 people falling 10 feet onto hard cement – and each other – it’s fortunate that the injuries didn’t turn out to be even more serious.The railing that collapsed had connected support poles to support walls, NBC News reported, so it would have seemed sturdy. But ultimately, it wasn’t sturdy enough.

Though the rest of Friday’s concert was canceled, other weekend concerts at the venue continued on schedule. If you are attending a show at BB&T Pavilion, please use caution. Live Nation and local authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident. Until it’s clear what happened and why, there’s no telling whether concertgoers could still be in danger of another railing collapsing elsewhere on the premises.