AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The initial wave of victim lawsuits since four people died at the South by Southwest music festival accuse organizers of safety lapses after a driver struck a crowd of concertgoers.
The lawsuits filed Thursday are the first since the March crash that also injured nearly two dozen people. Since the crash, organizers of the once-obscure Austin festival have faced questions over how they have managed the event's transformation into an international extravaganza.
An aspiring rapper who police say drove his car through a street barricade remains jailed on capital murder charges.
Among those killed was a Dutch music executive riding a bike. His family says festival organizers skimped on traffic safeguards while packing people downtown to hear more than 2,000 bands.
Next year's festival begins March 17.
