THORNTON, Colo. — A Thornton teen is seeking $1 million in damages over injuries suffered at the Astroworld festival in Houston earlier this month that left 10 people dead, according to a lawsuit filed in a Texas district court.
Angel Dominguez, 18, claims in the lawsuit that he was attending the music festival at NRG Park with his cousin when he suddenly realized that the capacity of the crowd was too large for the arena that had been established.
The lawsuit says the pressure and impact from the condensed crowd increased rapidly, causing Dominguez to be knocked down multiple times, physically beaten and bruised by the panicking crowd.
At one point, Dominguez claims the crowd was condensed to the point that he could no longer see his feet, feared he was being crushed and was also concerned he was physically stepping on concertgoers who were unconscious or unable to get back on their feet.
That's when Dominguez and his cousin were able to break through a barrier and escape the crowd, according to the lawsuit.
> Video above: Northglenn father recalls 'chaotic moments' at Astroworld with 9-year-old son.
Dominguez claims in the lawsuit that he began experiencing chest pains and shortness of breath back at his hotel, and thinking it was discomfort due to the recent events, he took over-the-counter medicine and attempted to rest.
The next morning, the lawsuit says Dominguez woke up sore with burses, and his cough and shortness of breath seemed to progress.
Dominguez continued to experience shortness of breath, chest pains and a persistent cough after returning to the Denver area on Nov. 7, and complained to the nurse on Nov. 16 that he was experiencing a "bubbling in his chest," the lawsuit reads.
The school nurse listened to Dominguez's chest and heard clicking sounds, which is a sign of a symptom called Bibasilar crackles, and he was taken to the emergency room, according to the lawsuit.
Doctors diagnosed Dominguez with a collapsed lung, which was secondary to crash injuries and blunt force trauma suffered to his chest, and inserted a pigtail catheter in his chest in an attempt to drain excess fluid and air in his lung, the lawsuit says.
Dominguez was transferred to a nearby hospital, where the lawsuit says the pigtail catheter was removed and a hollow tube was inserted into his chest.
The first attempt to reinflate Dominguez's lung was unsuccessful, and he remained in the hospital for days with the tube in his chest, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit says the extent of Dominguez's injuries is still being determined, but the family is hopeful he will recover from the physical injuries.
The following parties were named as defendants in the lawsuit:
- Jacques Bermon Webster Il a/k/a Travis Scott
- Scoremore, LLC
- Scoremore Holdings, LLC
- Scoremore MGMT, LLC
- Sascha Stone Guttfreund, manager of Scoremore Defendants
- Live Nation Worldwide, Inc.
- Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.
- Darryl Platt, director of operations for the Live Nation defendants in Houston, Texas
- ASM Global Parent, Inc
- ASM Global, LLC
- Mark Miller, general manager of NRG Park and an executive with ASM Global in Houston
- Keith Butler, senior manager of NRG Park accounts with ASM Global in Houston, Texas
- Trey Hicks, "Trey Hicks Public Relations, "Trey Hicks PR," and/or "TI--IPR."
- Cactus Jack Records, LLC
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