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Four people were injured, two of them seriously, when a giant video screen collapsed Thursday night during setup for this weekend's Ultra Music Festival in Miami, authorities told NBC News.
The screen collapsed about 7:50 p.m. ET onto the festival's main stage as workers were preparing for the annual electronic music festival, which organizers said is expected to draw more than a quarter-million people to Miami's Bayfront Park over the next two weekends.
A Miami fire official told NBC News that two people suffered serious head injuries and other fractures. NBC 6 of Miami reported that they were being treated at Ryder Trauma Center.
NBCMiami: Stage Collapsed at Site of Ultra Music Festival: Miami Fire-Rescue
The two other victims sustained unspecified minor injuries, the fire official said, with only one of them being taken to the hospital.
The festival, now in its 15th year, is considered one of the leading music events in the world, with a heavy emphasis on electronic music. This year's lineup includes such prominent acts as Hot Chip, Snoop Dogg, Deadmau5, Disclosure and Major Lazer.
Gabe Gutierrez and Justin Kirschner of NBC News contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
Do you hire to help setup the sets or anything?
If they are like what goes on for our local annuel events, the same company is hired to do the set up each year. I hope everyone recovers quickly and however this happened is discovered so it can be prevented in the future.
Oh why! Oh why! could if have not fallen when Snoop Lion was under it?
Spring break.
Its against the TOS of newsvine to wish death of another.
I hope The Game and Status Quo are going to be there.
I was thinking how lucky it is that it didn't happen during the event or there would be many more injuries, if not deaths...
Now is the time for all good lawyers to come to the aid of the litigious.
ironic ain't it...most people dream of being on the big screen...not the other way around...
"break a leg..."
I don't "hire" to help setup events like this, but I work setting up events like this. I work in putting up stages and video screens and audio, lighting and what have you. It is a dangerous job. The riggers are the most important workers on a lot of these jobs as they set up the points from which everything hangs. I don't know the particular details about what happened in this case, but it looks like the point it was suspended upon failed catastrophically. That is why we have unions with certified riggers who know what they are doing and know the materials used and know the formulas by which you calculate what is needed to safely bear the load. Non union companies that use inexperienced, sloppy, or poorly trained riggers are often at the bottom of accidents like this.
An example would be the stage collapse at the Silverdome in Detroit, MI. when setting up for A.R. Rahman, who did the soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire. Non union stagehands operating unsafely, with too much weight in the air caused that stage collapse. Luckily no one was killed, but 10 people were injured, a few of them seriously.
Anyway, the point is that it is a seriously dangerous job setting up stages and flying equipment in the air. It should only be done by competent, trained individuals who work at a steady safe pace, ensuring that all safety protocols are followed so that everybody walks away in one piece, uninjured, so that people can enjoy the show without worrying about something collapsing upon them. That is why most of the big shows are done by unions.
That said, it is a sad occasion when something goes wrong and it ends up hurting or killing people in the process. We work relentlessly to prevent such things from happening. This is an example of why.
To much BS on these annual events now days gets people hurt and the cost is BS go back to the days like the music they had during Vietnam no injuries there except maybe a few pregent women and lots of fun!!!
During Vietnam Americans were getting shot, blown up, stabbed, and tortured. Only the protesting people in the States had "no injuries".
Woodstock = Vietnam era = 2 fatalities.
Miami music festival = gangland drive by era = whatever. You folks missed the sentiment of his post...old school music.
Yes because music made while hopped up on LSD and copious amounts of marijuana was so much better.
Flordia, again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Probably not written "while high", Chris, but definitely played that way! And yea, was better. Bring back Tommy James and the Shondells...Crimson and Clover, Crystal Blue Persuasion, draggin the line...What do they have now, F@ck you music.
Chris from Yucaipa
You got the jest of it. Actually it was much better music than the crap you call music today.
This year's lineup includes such prominent acts as Hot Chip, Snoop Dogg, Deadmau5, Disclosure and Major Lazer.
Who are these bands? Prominent? Prominent what? We had, Who's Who, Led Zepplin, KISS, Three Dog Night, Eric Clapton.... ect. ect. Now they knew how to write and play a song.
Hope everyone injured a speedy recovery.
Ahhh, the old music is better argument.
A matter of opinion and taste. Have fun.
Don't get me wrong, i'm 39 and while I'm particularly partial to 80's pop, I also absolutely love Warren Zevon, Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot, Queen etc etc
Well, tealibanis, don't say I've never done you a favor, because I know this is what you're thinking:
"Ban video screens!!!1!1!1!!"
So now y'all can move onto the next vine string, tealibanis--I covered it for you...
Actually what I'm thinking is that the whole 'ban this' joke is so over used it's become retarded.
ban ban...i agree with...Chris...in a retarded kind of way...
That musta Hurt!
I gotta case. Bring in the Familia. All of them. Mo money.......
lol hippies...
Jeff, not really. It was a company contracted to do the setup. These were guys who were actually working for a living. Nothing to laugh about.
No mention of weather involvement, but a cold front just passed through yesterday and I'll bet a good wind gust had something to do with it. Was Christofer Cross there doing "Sailing"?
oh, the big screen can do miracles, just you wait and see, believe me
It dont matter to these companies about there workers..As they say the Show must go on for the all mighty dollar..Also the line up for the Music suxs anyway..Snoop Dog and a few other are worthless..