MIAMI — Three crew members were injured, two critically, when a section of video screen panels suspended some 30 feet above the Ultra Music Festival’s main stage fell during load-in at Bayfront Park here just before 8 p.m. March 14. After extensive safety checks during daylight hours March 15 by federal OSHA inspectors, the fire marshal and structural engineers, the main stage was approved for use and the festival, set for performances on March 15-17 and 22-24, proceeded as planned.
After treatment overnight March 14 at the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, the status of the two most-seriously injured crew members, first described as “life-threatening,” then “critical,” then “stable” had improved. A crew member identified by local media to be Joseph Green, 32, was the most seriously wounded, with severe injuries to both knees, ankles and hip, along with wrist lacerations.
Lt. Ignatius Carroll Jr., a Miami fire and rescue spokesman, was quoted describing the staging element that struck the workers as a section of LED video panels measuring seven feet in height and about 30 feet in length. Although earlier reports from authorities had indicated that a truss section supporting both lighting and video elements may have fallen, the ability for the main stage to be approved for use after extensive safety checks on Friday indicated that its structural integrity was proven to be sound.
The 2013 Ultra Music Festival, set to be the 15th annual electronic music extravaganza, was the first Ultra Fest scheduled on back-to-back weekends, hosting artists including David Guetta, deadmau5, Tiësto, Skrillex, Calvin Harris, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, Pretty Lights and DJ Futtize, among others.
For a Youtube video of Google EarthCam showing the portion of the top row of LED panels falling, CLICK HERE.
