A young woman who attended the Boardmasters music festival in Newquay, Cornwall has said that she suffered a fractured knee as a result of a crowd surge. The festival took place over the weekend and, as well as the woman’s injury, several others were also taken to hospital for “precautionary examination”. Organisers have said that pit management and experienced security teams were in place to deal with any issues that arose during the event.
Jade Brooks, who is from Yorkshire, claims that she heard a crunch as around 10 people fell on top of her leg during the crush. She said that ground staff appeared to be unprepared for the number of people that were arriving, causing the crowd to be “packed in like sardines.” Security told her to go to the welfare tent after the incident, but later that night her leg had swollen to twice its normal size and Ms Brooks visited an emergency department. An X-ray revealed that she had suffered a fracture in her knee.
Ms Brooks, who works in hospitality and as a dancer, has said that she will be unable to work for over a month and wants a refund from the festival organisers along with compensation. Boardmasters was issued a licence to accommodate 58,000 people and, while organisers have said that teams were in place to deal with any issues, at least seven people were taken to hospital after the first day of the event. Devon and Cornwall Police have released a statement saying that there have been no fatalities as a result of the reported crowd collapse.
Organisers of the festival have stated that they had implemented a “highly experienced and trained” team of medical, welfare, and safeguarding staff to keep attendees safe throughout the event. The festival has continued despite the reports of injuries during the first day
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