CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A local magistrate held three companies involved in erecting advertising-clad scaffolding outside a 2012 Linkin Park tour stop liable for the death of a concert attendee after the temporary structure collapsed in high winds.
A total of 19 ticket holders on their way to a Linkin Park concert at Cape Town Stadium on Nov. 7, 2012 were injured as they walked from a parking area and the banner-clad structure outside the stadium collapsed. Thirteen of the 19 required hospitalization. Florentina Popa, 32, succumbed to her injuries.
Magistrate Ingrid Arntse announced July 28 that while the band and the concert organizer, Big Concerts, were not liable for the accident, three other companies — Vertex Scaffolding CC, Bothma Signs and Hirt & Carter (Pty) Ltd — should have done more to ensure that scaffolding would be able to safely stand up to the force of the winds that day.
In a statement, Linkin Park’s management noted that, “though we have had no relationship with the sponsor or the entity responsible for erecting the structure, we take the safety of our fans very seriously and our thoughts are with all of those who were affected by this tragedy.”
