Lawsuit filed in HARD Summer ecstasy death case by deceased’s parents
The parents of a deceased 18 -year-old HARD Summer attendee are suing festival organizers over her ecstasy-related death, claiming it could have been prevented. Katie Dix died on the festival’s first day after ingesting on what she believed to be pure MDMA, but was actually an ecstasy mixture laced with bath salts. A delay in proper treatment lead to Dix’s passing at a nearby hospital.
The suit claims the defendants “turned a blind eye to the known risks in order to capitalize on teenagers and young adults who believed they were attending a safe party environment.” Despite being aware of how common drug use is at “raves,” the suit alleges that festival organizers didn’t do enough to keep patrons safe.
Almost unbelievably, HARD had only four medical tents to serve a crowd of more than 65,000 attendees. The suit maintains that even those medical professionals on site were not properly trained to treat overdoses, resulting in a severe delay in treatment that cost Dix her life. Reports show that more than 50 teens and young adults were hospitalized at nearby facilities with drug related medical complications after last year’s festival.
The Dix family has named Live Nation Entertainment Inc., Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles County Fair Association, the city of Pomona, and security staffers Staff Pro Inc. as defendants.
While Dix’s parents are seeking unspecified damages on wrongful death, negligence, premises liability and public nuisance allegations, Los Angeles was quick to react to the news last year. In the immediate aftermath of Dix’s death — and that of fellow HARD attendee Tracy Nguyen, 19 — the county established an electronic music task force and has since enacted tougher approval procedures for festivals to be held in the region.
Read More:
LA County unanimously approves the formation of an electronic music task force
MDMA overdose confirmed as cause of death for HARD Summer victim
Categories: News