A #Coachella festival worker passed away this morning after reportedly falling to his death while helping set up one of the venue’s many stages.
Witnesses at the concert grounds told @tmz_tv that the employee was climbing the stage to do some rigging ahead of the festival’s opening day, which is next Friday.
The man reportedly fell about 60 feet to the ground. It wasn’t immediately clear how or why he fell but it was reported that he was not clipped in to a safety harness at that time.
An Indio Police spokesperson confirmed that a 911 call was placed around 9:30 a.m. to report an industrial accident on the Coachella concert grounds for a person who had fallen near the staging area.
Police and fire units responded to the scene but TMZ reports that the victim was pronounced dead on the scene.
Now Indio Police officials are saying the exact circumstances surrounding the worker’s death are under investigation.
It also wasn’t immediately clear if anything will change in light of this accident.
Despite this tragic and unfortunate death, Coachella has had very few fatalities up until 2014 when a female festival goer reportedly died of a drug overdose. That death was believed to be one of the first, if not, the only, deaths to occur in Coachella’s two-decade history.
An official statement from Goldenvoice, which puts on Coachella every year, was not immediately available.
This year’s festival headliners include Childish Gambino, Tame Impala and Ariana Grande. The various acts and talents to also be featured the next two weekends include: Idris Elba on the 1s and 2s, Solange, Janelle Monae, Kid Cudi, Khalid, Ella Mai, H.E.R., Pusha T and Playboy Carti.
We urge those of you who will be attending this year’s festivities to be safe and use your best judgment while partying it up in the desert.
TSR STAFF: Christina C! @cdelafresh
