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Man paralyzed at a 2017 Travis Scott concert says he is 'devastated' for the Astroworld Festival victims

Nov 8, 2021, 01:27 IST
Insider
Travis Scott performs during 2021 Astroworld Festival at NRG Park on November 05, 2021 in Houston, Texas. Erika Goldring/WireImage/via Getty Images
  • At least eight people died and 300 were injured at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival on Friday.
  • Kyle Green claims he became paralyzed at a 2017 Travis Scott concert in New York.
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A man who claims he was paralyzed following a 2017 Travis Scott concert said he was "devastated" for victims of the Astroworld Festival, according to a statement his lawyer shared with Rolling Stone.

At least eight people died and 300 were injured in a "mass casualty" according to officials, after a crowd surged during Scott's performance at his annual Astroworld Festival on Friday. Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña told reporters at a news conference that the crowd was around 50,000 people.

Four years earlier, Kyle Green, 27, attended Scott's April 2017 concert at Terminal 5 in New York City, where he was reportedly pushed from a third-floor balcony during the performance. Rolling Stone reported that Green said he was forced over the third-story edge amid a "severely crowded" event.

According to the suit filed six months after the alleged incident, Green stated that he suffered several broken bones - including his vertebrae - before being taken off the floor by staff "without a cervical collar, backboard and other safety precautions," the outlet reports.

Rolling Stone noted that Green was injured during the same concert where Scott was filmed encouraging a different fan to drop from the second-story seating into the crowd below.

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While his lawsuit against Scott is still pending in the Manhattan Supreme Court, Green gave a statement to Rolling Stone through his lawyer, Howard Hershenhorn: "He's devastated and heartbroken for the families of those who were killed and for those individuals who were severely injured."

"He's even more incensed by the fact that it could have been avoided had Travis learned his lesson in the past and changed his attitude about inciting people to behave in such a reckless manner," the statement continued.

Green's lawyer told the outlet that he initially used a wheelchair following the incident but "can actually walk now, but with significant, significant disability. He's partially paralyzed still."

Scott's lawyers have denied that he's at fault, reportedly writing in a 2018 filing that said Green's injuries resulted from "risks voluntarily undertaken" by attendees, according to Rolling Stone who obtained the filing.

Representatives for Travis Scott did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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Green's lawyer shared a statement with Insider, saying: "My client was paralyzed at Travis show in NY and Travis has pled guilty twice for encouraging chaos at his shows. His song lyrics encourage violence and injury at his concerts."

As reported by the Associated Press, Scott pled guilty to reckless conduct charges following Lollapalooza, a music festival based in Chicago, in 2015. Authorities claimed that Scott encouraged fans to jump the safety barricades.

In a separate incident, Scott was arrested in 2017 after authorities accused him of inciting a riot during a concert at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion, AP reported. A security guard, police, and others reportedly suffered injuries as a result. Scott pled guilty to disorderly conduct in a plea deal, according to the outlet.

Scott released a statement regarding his event and the incident on Saturday afternoon.

"I'm absolutely devastated by what took place last night," Scott wrote in a tweet. "My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival."

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