Mortality at Music Festivals: Academic and Grey Literature for Case Finding. Issue 1 (8th December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Turris, Sheila A.; Lund, Adam
• Is Part Of: Prehospital and disaster medicine. Volume 32:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 58
• Page End: 63
• Publication Date: 2016-12-08
• Subjects: electronic dance music, -- Google Alerts, -- Internet surveillance, -- mass gatherings, -- music festivals; Emergency medical services -- Periodicals; Emergency medicine -- Periodicals; Disaster medicine -- Periodicals; 616.025
• DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X16001205
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1049-023X

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: Deaths at music festivals are not infrequently reported in the media; however, the true mortality burden is difficult to determine as the deaths are not yet systematically documented in the academic literature. Methods: This was a literature search for case examples using academic and gray literature sources, employing both retrospective and prospective searches of media sources from 1999-2014. Results: The gray literature documents a total of 722 deaths, including traumatic (594/722; 82%) and non-traumatic (128/722; 18%) causes. Fatalities were caused by trampling (n=479), motor-vehicle-related (n=39), structural collapses (n=28), acts of terror (n=26), drowning (n=8), assaults (n=6), falls (n=5), hanging (n=2), and thermal injury (n=2). Non-traumatic deaths included overdoses (n=96/722; 13%), environmental causes (n=8/722; 1%), natural causes (n=10/722; 1%), and unknown/not reported (n=14/722; 2%). The majority of non-trauma-related deaths were related to overdose (75%). The academic literature documents trauma-related deaths (n=368) and overdose-related deaths (n=12). One hundred percent of the trauma-related deaths reported in the academic literature also were reported in the gray literature (n=368). Mortality rates cannot be reported as the total attendance at events is not known. Conclusions: The methodology presented in this manuscript confirms that deaths occur not uncommonly at music festivals, and it represents a starting point in the documentation and surveillance of mortality. SA Turris, A Lund .Mortality at music festivals: academic and grey literature for case finding .Prehosp Disaster Med .2017 ;32 (1 ):58 –63 .