By Ariel Steinsaltz
Staff Writer
More than two dozen people were injured when a stage barricade collapsed at the annual Labor Day Weekend Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival in Seattle on Aug. 31.
A press release from the organizers of the event said that “‘Saturday night at Bumbershoot Festival there was steel barricade failure that resulted in several non-life threatening injuries. Those injured were handled by on-site medical teams and further treatment continued at an area hospital as deemed necessary,’” according to Rolling Stone.
David Cuerpo, a spokesman for the Seattle Fire Department, said that about 3,000 people had gathered and were pressing against the barrier, which caused it to fall. The barrier was 4 feet high and made of steel, according to USA Today.
Electronic music artist Jai Wolf was performing at the festival when the collapse occurred, according to NBC News.
Wolf released a statement on Twitter, saying, “‘As soon as I walked on the stage tonight, one of the steel barricades separating the crowd and the stage collapsed due to the crowd pushing and jumping on the hill. I cut the music because I noticed members of the audience had fallen on top of each other. Before we could continue the show, we had to assess any potential injuries.’”
He continued to inform the public that his set had been rescheduled for Sept. 1, and that passholders for the original event would be given access to the new performance. He also urged people coming to the Sunday show to “be mindful of (their) surroundings and look out for one another,” in the tweet.
The Seattle Fire Department tweeted that 25 people had been evaluated for injuries and that four were transported to Harborview Medical Center, a hospital in Seattle.
The four taken to the hospital were all in stable condition when transported. The festival released a statement saying that on-site medical teams provided help to those who were wounded, according to NBC News.
“‘I’m so stoked to be back in Seattle but safety is our primary concern and we wanted to make sure that no one would be in any danger.” Wolf’s tweet added. “We know now that no one has sustained any serious injuries.’”
