Moving light falls on concertgoer

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sawdust123

sawdust123

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A large moving head fell on a woman at Coachella. A lot of people are asking where the safety cable was. Was a cable even there? Was it undersized? Was it attached wrong? Wind may have been a factor. I'm sure there is more to learn about this.

nypost.com

Coachella horror as huge light plunges onto fans mid-concert: ‘Blood all over’

A night of high-energy beats at Coachella took a frightening turn when a heavy lighting fixture plunged down on the audience — striking at least one concert-goer in the head and leaving her bloodie…
nypost.com nypost.com

I am always concerned about such issues. When I began as a DJ, I rented my PA. The speakers weighed over 60 lbs. I was nearly finished with setup and was securing the cables to the stands when all of a sudden the collar on the stand broke and one leg let go. The speaker fell towards me and the upright hit me on the collar bone. I grabbed the other end of the stand before the speaker completely pivoted over my back. I could barely move from my position and I didn't want to drop the speaker. Luckily someone was around and saw me. We got the speaker down. I temporarily fixed the stand with gaffer's tape and got through the gig. I still think about what could have happened if the stand broke and that speaker hit a kid or elderly person. I was left with a black and blue mark for about a month. It could have been way worse.
 
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The collision of unreliable Chinese steel with poor rigging design.

It appears the entire hang relied on a single bolt at the center of a 2" Aluminum clamp.

That Light is supposed to be supported by TWO points, and while it has two clamps attaching it to a cross bar, that bar is subsequently supported by a single clamp to what is essentially a projector mount. The rigging has to support not only the weight - but the added stress of load movement and flex in what is typically a windy environment. All of those stresses are exacerbated by a hang that is not, or fails to remain plumb. That's too much stress for the cheap Chinese bolt that typically comes with that clamp, and it appears to have simply sheered off.

Even with small and cheap aluminum clamps and light loads I make a point of replacing the crappy Chinese metric bolts with American made steel. The original hardware is crap.

A single safety cable would not be adequate for that light, nor for the rigging. EVERYTHING in the hang has to be cabled to prevent BOTH the light and it's additional rigging hardware from reaching the audience.
 
I got to say I feel sad for the person or person's that got hurt. The other thing I think of is what about the people who got hurt. What about someone having to go to the hospital and hopefully they aren't permenately injured. What about those people getting a lawyer because of what happened. People love to sue to see if they can get money.

What about the ones who are responsible for the accident? If they are sued that could put them out of business. Just a tragedy all the way around.
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
I got to say I feel sad for the person or person's that got hurt. The other thing I think of is what about the people who got hurt. What about someone having to go to the hospital and hopefully they aren't permenately injured. What about those people getting a lawyer because of what happened. People love to sue to see if they can get money.

What about the ones who are responsible for the accident? If they are sued that could put them out of business. Just a tragedy all the way around.
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How much event insurance do you have Mix???
 
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tunes4046 said:
How much event insurance do you have Mix???
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None and what does that have to do with the issue about an accident causing some people to get hurt? What about if the insurance won't cover the damages and decide to cancel the policy?

Think of it this way. The law suit could be very costly and to much for the insurance to cover due to what's in the contract.
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
None and what does that have to do with the issue about an accident causing some people to get hurt? What about if the insurance won't cover the damages and decide to cancel the policy?

Think of it this way. The law suit could be very costly and to much for the insurance to cover due to what's in the contract.
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WOW Mixxy, Just WOW!
 
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MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
None and what does that have to do with the issue about an accident causing some people to get hurt? What about if the insurance won't cover the damages and decide to cancel the policy?

Think of it this way. The law suit could be very costly and to much for the insurance to cover due to what's in the contract.
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So what happens if you get sued because something happens at one of your gigs, a lawsuit garnishment of all of your wages and benefits until the amount is fulfilled??
 
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tunes4046 said:
So what happens if you get sued because something happens at one of your gigs, a lawsuit garnishment of all of your wages and benefits until the amount is fulfilled??
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Let's be real here. Mixxy will not ever be sued.
 
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One of my first gigs was NYE at a local B'nai B'brith. Since I was new, I was using gear from the multi op. We had the big Ultimate stands with three pars and a controller on it. One slipped off the stage and crashed onto the dance floor. Fortunately, I wasn't that good, so no one was ON the dance floor.
 
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It's not just people - property damage is a more frequent issue. I've seen speaker arrays flown on lifts fall over - which can cause damage to the facility. You can't leave a big dent in the basketball court, turf, or hockey rink and expect to walk away unaffected.
 
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