Wrongful death lawsuit filed after concert crush

The family of a woman who died in a stampede at a concert venue in the United States have launched legal action over her death.

Three women lost their lives in the crowd crush, which took place at Main Street Armory in Rochester, New York, following a show by rapper GloRilla on 5 March when concertgoers began rushing towards the exits after apparently mistaking the sound of confetti poppers for gunshots. Around 3,900 fans were in attendance at the event.

According to Wham, Rochester Police said that about 200 people claiming to have VIP tickets had attempted to push past security about 20 minutes before the end of the gig, leading to a jam between those trying to leave and those who had just arrived.

Bruce Stephens, husband of 35-year-old victim Aisha Stephens, is now suing the venue, its former owner Scott Donaldson, the performers on stage – GloRilla, aka Gloria Woods, and Finnesse2tymes, real name Ricky Hampton – along with the private security provider working the show. All defendants are accused of being “reckless, negligent and careless”.

The lawsuit was filed this week in Onondaga County and seeks unspecified damages. CNY Central reports that the suit is the first to be launched in relation to the incident and alleges that adequate safety and security measures were not provided at the concert, which it claims was held with “reckless disregard for the safety of others”.

The City of Rochester concluded there was no basis for criminal charges over the incident

Rhondesia Belton, 33, and 35-year-old Brandy Miller also died in the incident, while seven people required hospital treatment for non-life threatening injuries.

Earlier this year, the City of Rochester concluded there was no basis to bring criminal charges over the tragedy after a “comprehensive, multi-departmental investigation”.

National civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump previously intimated that he planned to file a lawsuit against the venue on behalf of one of the victims and several injured concertgoers.

The venue was shut down and changed hands just weeks after the fatal surge. According to paperwork filed with the DA’s office, Donaldson sold the venue on 23 March to 900 E Main Street Rochester LLC for $550,000, reported Spectrum News.

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