The deadly crowd surge at a Houston music festival on Friday night was the latest in a string of violent altercations at Travis Scott’s concerts. His shows are known for wild mosh pits, crowd surfing, and stage diving, and the artist, who has been called “one of today’s most energetic and disruptive live performers,” frequently encourages it.
In 2017, Kyle Green, a concertgoer, claimed that he had been paralyzed and required a wheelchair after being pushed from a third-story balcony and then dragged on stage while the rapper performed at Terminal 5 in New York City.
Mr. Green sued Mr. Scott and his manager, the concert promoter that runs Terminal 5 and puts on the show, as well as Strike Force Protective Services, claiming “negligence, carelessness, and recklessness.”
The footage, a sold-out show, shows Mr. Scott encouraging attendees on the balcony to leap into the crowd below. “Don’t be scared,” he exclaims as a spotlight shines on one dangling concertgoer. “They’ll catch you.”
Howard Hershenhorn, one of Kyle Green’s lawyers, said his client did not jump but was shoved from the third floor as the crowd surged to the ledge. Mr. Green can be seen lying still on the floor of the venue in footage from that night.
According to the lawsuit, Mr. Green suffered fractured vertebrae, a broken left wrist, and a fractured right ankle, all of which resulted in “extreme pain and suffering, loss of income, emotional distress and medical costs.” Mr. Green’s lawyer said that had he received prompt medical attention he would not have been disabled.
