Zombicon charity event leads to a death

On behalf of Aiken and Aiken P.C. Personal Injury Attorneys posted in Wrongful Death, on Friday, November 6, 2015

Street festivals and charity events are popular in Massachusetts and around the country. Zombicon is a charity function that was held in Florida in late October by the group Pushing Daizies. The proceeding did not turn out well.These events usually have a theme, and this one was zombies. Over 20,000 people dressed up in costumes and makeup, drank alcohol and many waved make-believe guns around. Not all of the guns were fake, though. A 20-year-old man was shot and killed when an unidentified shooter began firing a real gun shortly before midnight. There were five other people hurt during this incident. The grandmother of the man who was killed has filed a $5 millionwrongful death lawsuit claiming negligence on the part of the company that organized the event as well as the company that provided security. Additionally, the city of Fort Meyers and the Fort Meyers police department may also be sued. The attorney for the plaintiff said that the security was extremely bad during this event. He also said that they were not equipped or trained to deal with such a large crowd.As is the case with a personal injury lawsuit, a wrongful death lawsuit is grounded on the negligence of a person or entity named as a defendant. The surviving family members of a person who has suffered fatal injuries as the result of another’s negligent actions may want to meet with an attorney to determine the procedures that are involved in filing such an action as well as the types of damages that can be sought.Source: NBC News, “Family of Man Killed at ZombiCon Event Files $5 Million Lawsuit”, Phil Helsel, Nov. 3, 2015