The parents of a 19-year-old California woman who died of drug overdose while attending a rave in Los Angeles County in August 2015 have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the event’s organizers. The couple claim in their legal action that their daughter’s life could have been saved if she had received adequate medical treatment. The city of Pomona, the Los Angeles County Fair Association and the company that arranged security at the venue were also named as defendants in the litigation.
The woman lost her life after taking a pill that she believed to be the recreational drug ecstasy, but what she actually ingested was a cocktail of substances that included significant quantities of w bath salts. The woman reacted badly to the pill, and she was pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital.
The parents claim in their lawsuit that the four medical stations provided by the event organizers were manned by staff that lacked proper training and were unprepared and unable to treat the 65,000 or so young people in attendance. The couple also say that their daughter could have received treatment sooner had security personnel been more active and involved. Records indicate that drugs claimed the life of at least one other attendee, and about 50 others suffered drug-related seizures or went into comas after ingesting substances at the event.
Deciding to pursue civil remedies after the loss of a loved one can be difficult for grieving families, and attorneys with experience in this area may seek to protect clients involved in wrongful death lawsuits from media exposure and public scrutiny. The compensation sought in such a lawsuit will often include funeral expenses as well as loss of companionship.