Family of child in coma after stomping at Houston concert files lawsuit, lawyer says

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A legal team that includes prominent civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump said Tuesday it filed a lawsuit on behalf of a father whose nine-year-old son is in a medically induced coma after being trampled on at the Astroworld festival in Houston.

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The boy, identified in a Crump statement only as “EB,” suffered fatal injuries in a weekend performance led by hip-hop star Travis Scott that ended with eight people killed and dozens more injured in a stampede.

“This little boy is fighting for his life, and his parents will never meet the same boy they entered Astroworld with,” Crump said in a statement Tuesday.

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The lawsuit, which names Scott, Live Nation Entertainment, Scoremore Mgmt and Cactus Jack Records as defendants, alleges negligence in “a myriad of aspects” including crowd control and a lack of adequate medical care.

It also accuses the defendants of not stopping the hip-hop star’s performance “until more than 40 minutes” after officials declared an event with mass casualties had started.

Ezra Blount, 9, was on his father’s shoulder at the event before falling during the crush, according to NBC News.

Once the family was able to place him at Texas Children’s Hospital, the boy was in a coma to fight the brain trauma.

“There are many things that could have prevented it,” Taylor Blount, the nine-year-old’s aunt, told NBC’s “Today” show.

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The Houston police chief said he met briefly with Scott to voice his “public safety concerns” before the rapper took the stage. Friday’s deadly rush of crowds has sparked a wave of lawsuits on behalf of concert goers, while police are investigating the tragedy.

The eight fans who lost their lives were between the ages of 14 and 27 and included a high school baseball player, a high school band member who loved to dance, and several college students from across the country.

The victims were crushed in a wave of fans near the stage at NRG Park around 9:30 p.m., some unable to breathe and others trampled. Hundreds more in the packed crowd of 50,000 were injured during the day.

Fans described a chaotic scene after a steady escalation of disruptive behavior for several hours.

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Scott, who said he was “devastated” by the events, announced Monday that he would cover all funeral expenses and offer assistance to those affected. It is also working with law enforcement and city officials to “connect in a respectful and appropriate manner” with the victims and their families, according to a statement.

Canadian rapper Drake, who made an appearance on Astroworld with Scott, said in an Instagram statement Monday night that his heart was “broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives and for anyone who is suffering.”

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More than a dozen lawsuits have already been filed by victims and their families against various defendants, including Scott and concert promoters Live Nation Entertainment Inc and ScoreMore.

The lawsuits generally accuse Live Nation of acting negligently by failing to create and enforce sufficient security protocols, not providing adequate security, and failing to maintain proper crowd control.

Live Nation issued a statement Monday saying the company “would address all legal matters at the appropriate time.” Scott’s representatives declined to comment on the civil lawsuits filed.