Rio police investigate T4F after Swift fan death
Police in Brazil are investigating promoter Time for Fun (T4F) following the death of a Taylor Swift fan who fell ill in sweltering conditions at one of the singer’s Rio shows.
Ana Clara Benevides, 23, lost consciousness during Swift’s performance at Estádio Nilton Santos last Friday (17 November), which took place in the midst of Brazil’s record-breaking heatwave. She was rushed to hospital, where she died after suffering a reported cardiac arrest.
A spokesperson for the Civil Police Department of Rio de Janeiro says it is probing a possible “crime of endangering the life and health” of concert-goers, although the inquiry is not connected to Benevides’ death.
“Event organisers will be called to testify, and other steps are underway to investigate the facts,” reads the police’s statement, as per the Daily Mail.
Fans were reportedly prohibited from bringing their own water bottles into the venue, despite temperatures in Rio reaching 39.1°C on the day of the show, leading to criticism of the promoter, which said the ban was “a requirement made by public bodies”.
“We apologise to the people who didn’t have the best experience possible”
T4F implemented a special action plan for Swift’s remaining two Rio stadium gigs on 19-20 November, which passed off without major incident, offering free water at access points in and around the stadium and enhancing its medical provisions.
In a video posted on social media, the company’s CEO Serafim Abreu offered an apology to attendees “who didn’t have the best experience possible”.
“We know the enormous responsibility we have when organising an event of this size, which is why we spare no effort and resources to always follow the best global practices in the sector, to guarantee comfort and safety for everyone,” said Abreu, as per Brazilian publication Estadao.
“Still, we faced days of extreme heat in Rio de Janeiro, with extremely high and unprecedented thermal sensations. Yes, we recognise that we could have taken some alternative actions, in addition to all the others we have done, such as creating shaded areas in external areas, changing the times of previously scheduled shows and placing more emphasis on allowing entry with disposable water cups.
“We also understand that the entire sector needs to rethink its actions in light of this reality. We apologise to the people who didn’t have the best experience possible.”
“We understand the deep pain of this irreparable loss, we respect the family’s privacy and once again reinforce our willingness to collaborate”
Referencing Benevides’ death, he continued: “Unfortunately, for the first time in more than 40 years of operation, we have had a fatality at an event organised by Time For Fun. We are very saddened by the loss of young Ana Clara, despite the prompt care and all the efforts made by the medical teams at the event and at the hospital.
“To Ana Clara’s family, I want to express our most sincere feelings. I now publicly state our willingness to provide assistance in any way necessary, as we have already said directly to family members and to the lawyer who represents them, by telephone and in writing, since the incident.
“We understand the deep pain of this irreparable loss, we respect the family’s privacy and once again reinforce our willingness to collaborate.”
Swift will wrap up Eras‘ Brazilian leg this weekend with three T4F-presented concerts in São Paulo’s Allianz Parque from 24-26 November.
“For the shows at Allianz Parque, we follow the new position of the authorities,” added Abreu. “Flexible water bottles are allowed to enter, in addition to the disposable water cups that have always been released.”
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Woman dies after fall at Robbie Williams concert
A woman has died in hospital following a fall at the end of a Robbie Williams concert in Sydney, Australia.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Robyn Hall, who was in her 70s, fell down six floors of stairs on the upper level of the Allianz Stadium on 16 November.
She was treated at the scene for injuries to her face and head before being taken to hospital in a critical condition, but passed away yesterday after being in an induced coma for several days.
A spokesperson for Venues NSW, which operates the stadium, says the incident took place at around 10.15pm, when the sold-out 40,000-cap show finished and people started to leave.
This is a terribly sad incident and our thoughts and wishes are with the patron and their family during this time”
“Rather than use stairs, the woman attempted to step over seating rows,” says the spokesperson. “She lost her footing and fell. This is a terribly sad incident and our thoughts and wishes are with the patron and their family during this time.”
It is the second tragedy involving a major concert over the past few days after 23-year-old Taylor Swift fan Ana Clara Benevides Machado fainted during Swift’s performance at Estádio Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro last Friday, in the midst of Brazil’s record-breaking heatwave. She was rushed to hospital, where she died after suffering a reported cardiac arrest.
Williams, who is currently the subject of a four-part Netflix documentary, was performing in Sydney as part of his Australian XXV Tour, promoted by Chugg Entertainment and Frontier Touring.
The tour, which is celebrating Williams’ 25th anniversary as a solo artist, is due to continue this week with two nights at Melbourne’s AAMI Park.
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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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