We all love to attend some concert shows once in a while for different reasons. While attending concerts can be a magical and thrilling experience, there can be various risks that can endanger your safety while in these events. Cases of people getting hurt in such shows are very common. Probably because of the huge crowds, low lighting, and alcohol & drugs. People get pushed off the story, drugged, kidnapped, or lost among other risks. Being aware of the common risks will keep you alert on concert safety at the same time having the best out of the experience. Here, we’ve put together a list of 8 common risk factors that might be a threat to your concert safety. Please read on.
1. Falling, Tripping, and Slipping
Regardless of being drunk or sober at a concert, you’re vulnerable to fall, slip, and trip injuries. This can be because of the large masses of attendees, non-secured seats, steps and stairs, raised holes or floors in outdoor lawn venues, drink and food spills on floors, and instances of some people sitting or sleeping while others stand or walk in pedestrians’ path. If you or a family member has sustained injuries as a result of someone else’s negligence, you may qualify for compensation for the damages. You can consult one of the injury lawyers dealing with injuries in the state of Georgia to advise you on the relevant legal steps to follow. The personal injury attorney will also represent you in court where necessary.
2. Reckless Fan Behaviors
Most concerts cannot miss the instances where the fans tend to participate in different reckless behaviors in the name of ‘having fun.’ Moshing, stage diving, and crowd surfing are some of the common reckless practices that mostly lead to injuries. Moshing – pushing and shoving people in the pit – has resulted in most injuries as compared to stage diving – climbing on the stage and jumping off to be caught by the crowd, and crowd surfing – launching yourself over the supported hands of other fans. Among the injuries resulting from such practices include lacerations, sprains, and contusions.
3. Pyrotechnics
You’ve probably seen some performers include sparks and fireworks at some point of their performance – could be during the stage coming. The problem arises when such sparks and fireworks are lit off on a stage surrounded by a crowd. These pyrotechnic effects could go wrong and result in some injuries. They could cause a fire break out which could then lead to some fans sustaining injuries or even result in deaths.
4. Projectile Objects
This is common with almost all performers. They’d tend to throw some objects to the fans as a way of ‘making things fun’ and appreciating the fans. Well, this can be a very nice idea to make the event lively. But there’s no guarantee that everything will go just as planned. It could go wrong and the outcome could be a severe injury that you’ll wish you hadn’t attended the concert. But this shouldn’t discourage you from going to have fun at the concerts. Go spend time with your friends and your favorite artist but remember to be on the lookout. If possible, avoid staying near the performance stage.
5. Substance abuse and Out-of-Control Alcohol Drinking
Alcohol drinking and substance abuse are among the leading factors that cause concert-related injuries. Substance use can encourage the occurrence of reckless behaviors and hence related accidents. Alcohol drinking can disrupt your normal brain functioning. Common effects associated with being drunk include blurred vision, poor decision making, delayed reaction, poor balance, and an increased likelihood of becoming aggressive. These can be recipes of accidents and, hence related injuries. Most people are likely to use drugs during concerts, and could easily overdose. Different substances have different effects that could result in certain injuries like brain damage, respiratory issues, manic phases, and even immediate death.
6. Drinks and Food Poisoning
Food poisoning is one of the common safety concern affecting most attendees at different concerts. The bad guys normally poison the victims with an aim of stealing from them or harming them in one way or another. These bad guys will tend to put the drug on your drink or food when you’re not aware. Maybe you’re on the stage dancing or are talking to a friend without keeping your eyes on your drink. You need to always be careful with your drinks and food. Also, avoid taking drugs from strangers at all cost no matter how nice and kind they may seem. In fact, don’t take anything from them at all. Trust only one person – yourself.
7. Concert Fights
Fights are more common at concerts. Alcohol and substance abuse are some of the major contributors to concert fights. You could easily find yourself exchanging improper etiquette with some other person at the concert. Surprisingly, when this gets combined with the adrenaline rush of a concert, fights could be inevitable. The problem with concert fights is that if not stopped early enough, they could lead to one or all the participants sustaining some injuries. Especially when dangerous objects like knives, beer bottles, and other objects are used. But alcohol drinking and drug use are not the only reasons behind concert fights. Incitements in such scenarios like mosh-pits are also among the common reasons behind the fights. The security at the venue should always be alert to stop any fights before someone gets injured.
8. Unpredictable Concert Accidents
There could be scenarios where, even after adhering to proper concert safety measures, some accidents could still occur. Stage collapses can occur at any time, especially where there are structural mishaps or where several fans crowd the stage. This can result in some fans sustaining injuries or worse, death. Shootings and bombings can also occur in a concert event and can result in severe injuries and loss of lives. These accidents are inevitable and you can hardly know when they might happen. However, you need to be aware of such incidents in order to always stay alert and prepared should they occur. Ensure to locate different exit points immediately you enter into the concert and don’t stay very far from these points in case of anything.
Conclusion
The concert planners and officials have a duty of care to ensure the security in the venue is always enhanced. However, your personal safety is very important in such events regardless of your lifestyle. There are different risks, as explained above, that can be a threat to your safety and which you should try to avoid as much as possible. Ensure to seek legal practice should you or a loved one gets injured due to the negligence of another. You can also look out for other relevant themed blogs about concert safety and your responsibility.
