"While the crowd was crushing me, I fainted," says Astroworld festival attendee 1:30
(CNN) -
A lawsuit was filed following the Astroworld Festival tragedy that left eight people dead and dozens injured in Houston on Friday night.
An injured concert goer is suing rapper and producer Travis Scott, who was the organizer of the Astroworld Festival, as well as entertainment company Live Nation, concert promoter Scoremore and others involved in the event, according to the lawsuit obtained. by CNN.
They fear that the number of deaths will increase at the Astroworld 1:54 festival
Manuel Souza, who is being represented by the Kherkher Garcia law firm, "suffered serious bodily injury when the uncontrolled crowd at the concert threw him to the ground and stomped on him," according to the lawsuit filed in Harris County, Texas.
"The defendants did not properly plan or carry out the concert in a safe manner," the lawsuit continues.
Astroworld festival tragedy: at least 8 killed in Houston when Travis Scott was on stage
"Instead, they knowingly ignored the extreme risks of harm to concert-goers and, in some cases, actively encouraged and encouraged dangerous behavior. Their gross negligence caused serious injury to the plaintiff."
The amount of the claim for Astroworld
A jury trial is preferred to determine the exact amount of damages, according to the lawsuit, but Souza is seeking "monetary compensation of more than $ 1,000,000."
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CNN has reached out to Scott, Live Nation and Scoremore for comment on the lawsuit.
"Heartbroken for those of us who lost and those affected at Astroworld last night," Live Nation, the company responsible for organizing the Astroworld Festival, said in a statement.
"We will continue to work to provide as much information and assistance as possible to local authorities as they investigate the situation."
Live Nation is a concert promoter, venue operator, and owner of Ticketmaster.
According to its website, it sells 500 million concert and festival tickets every year.
Houston Fire Chief Discusses Tragic Events at Astroworld 1:45
Chronology of events on the night of the tragedy
The sold-out Friday night crowd at the Astroworld Festival was so packed that when some audience members were pushed onto the stage, they told CNN, they were crushed to the point that they couldn't breathe and passed out.
Concert goers described the event as traumatizing, with many witnesses saying they saw lifeless bodies trampled on amid the chaos.
Those who survived had to fight their way through the crowd as the music continued.
Scott took the stage for his performance shortly after 9 p.m.
Authorities said they learned of the waves of the public early in their presentation and received the first reports of injuries at approximately 9:30 p.m.
It's unclear what Scott saw from the stage and if he was aware of crowd conditions at the time, but he continued to perform until approximately 10:10 p.m.
That's roughly 40 minutes after the first injury reports were reported to authorities and just over 30 minutes after they declared the concert a "multiple casualty event," according to times given by Houston Fire Chief Samuel. Peña, at a press conference on Saturday morning.
Video from the live broadcast of the concert also showed Scott pausing his performance and watching in apparent confusion as an ambulance approached the crowd.
He started performing again, but then stopped the concert.
What Travis Scott Said
Scott made his first statement on camera in a video posted to his Instagram account on Saturday night.
"Honestly, I'm devastated," Scott said as he sighed repeatedly and rubbed his forehead.
"In fact, we are working right now to identify the families and help them through this difficult time."
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At least eight people were killed and many others injured after a crowd marched onto a stage at the Astroworld Festival in Houston on Friday night.
(Photo by Amy Harris / Invision / AP)
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The outdoor music festival was held at NRG Park, the stadium complex where the Astrodome and NRG Stadium are located.
(Photo by Amy Harris / Invision / AP)
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Some 50,000 people were at the festival.
The tickets were sold out.
(Photo by Amy Harris / Invision / AP)
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Among the artists on Friday was the American Toro y Moi.
(Photo by Amy Harris / Invision / AP)
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Attendees were also able to see performances by Lil Baby, Master P, Yves Tumor, Don Toliver and Roddy Riccho.
(Photo by Amy Harris / Invision / AP)
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Before Travis Scott came out on stage, the SZA presentation (pictured) took place.
(Photo by Amy Harris / Invision / AP)
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According to authorities, the incident occurred shortly after 8 pm (Miami time) during the presentation of the rapper and organizer of the event, Travis Scott.
(Photo by Amy Harris / Invision / AP)
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Video from the event showed Travis Scott on stage pausing and looking confused as an ambulance with flashing lights moved toward the densely packed crowd.
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"The crowd, for whatever reason, started to push up and up towards the front of the stage, which caused the people in the front to compress, they couldn't escape from that situation," said Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña to CNN.
(Photo by Amy Harris / Invision / AP)
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More than 300 people were treated at a field hospital set up near the festival, Peña said.
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Saturday's event featuring Tame Impala, Earth Wind & Fire and Bad Bunny was canceled (Photo by Amy Harris / Invision / AP) (Photo by Amy Harris / Invision / AP)
Some concert goers have criticized organizers for continuing the show even when non-responders were being given CPR and taken away, but Scott said he was unaware of the seriousness of things.
"Every time I was able to realize, you know, whatever was happening, you know, I just stopped my show and, you know, helped them get the help they needed."
The Houston Police Department tweeted Sunday that the investigation into the tragedy is active and "in its early stages."
The lawsuit alleges, "Scott actively encourages his fans to 'rage' at his concerts. His express encouragement of violence has previously resulted in serious violence at numerous past concerts."
He also quotes a tweet by Scott since deleted in response to fan complaints about the rapid ticket sales for this concert: "KEEPING THE WILD ONES !!!!!"
CNN's Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
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