Miami officials are calling for an end to Ultra Music Festival after a security guard was brutally trampled at Friday night's concert.
The Ultra Music Festival is an annual electronic music concert held outside in Miami. Due to EDM becoming more and more popular in recent years, attendance at the festival has skyrocketed. The Celebrity Cafe reported that Erica Mack, a 28-year-old security guard, was trampled by a mob of concertgoers who were trying to enter the festival without having a ticket. The mob pushed a fence down, trapping Mack beneath it before running over her. Mack is currently in "critical but stable condition" after suffering from a broken leg and brain hemorrhaging.
Miami city officials are seriously questioning if the festival will be allowed to return next year after the trampling incident. CBS Miami reports that Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado is now criticizing Ultra Music organizers for not following protocol. “What happened this weekend is an event that could have been avoided. The organizers of Ultra did not follow the police directive to re-enforce the fence, even though they knew that this year, and the year before, some kids have tried to over run the fences," said Regalado. Officials will be meeting in the coming weeks to discuss if the festival will be granted the required permits to return in 2015.
CBS Miami also notes that firefighters were on the scene at the festival this weekend, using specially-designed firetrucks to navigate the massive crowds. The Festival may soon be under scrutiny for health safety, as 55 rescues had to be made for concertgoers who overdosed on illegal substances or sustained injuries in the crowd.