Boy, 9, in coma after being crushed at Astroworld Festival
The family of Ezra Blount has launched a GoFundMe effort to help cover the severely injured boy's medical bills.
One of the youngest victims in the Astroworld Festival tragedy is in a medically induced coma fighting for his life. Ezra Blount, a 9-year-old boy, was severely injured, trampled by the crowd at the concert last weekend that resulted in the deaths of eight people.
Bernon Blount, the child’s grandfather, did an interview with CNN in which he said the boy went to the Astroworld Festival with his father, Treston Blount.
“When my son went to the concert, he had my grandson on his shoulder,” Blount said. “All the people pushed in, and he could not breathe, so he ended up passing out because of all the pressure that was being applied to his body. And when he passed out, Ezra fell off his shoulder and fell into the crowd.”
Blount said the two got separated in the crush that followed, while the child’s father was still unconscious. Young Ezra was transported to Texas Children’s Hospital, where he was registered as a John Doe.
“During the event at the concert, he had cardiac arrest which damaged his heart,” Blount said of his grandson’s current condition. “He has damage to the liver, his lungs … and on top of that, he has swelling on his brain.”
He told CNN the family is “devastated because the concert was supposed to be a special “father-son outing for them to bond and it has turned into something horrible and tragic.”
The elder Blount is demanding justice from the “artist or the event planners, but also from the city of Houston.”
The Blounts have retained the services of attorneys Ben Crump of Ben Crump Law and Alex and Bob Hilliard of Hilliard Martinez Gonzalez to represent them in any future legal matters.
Crump, who is known for representing families of people injured or killed by police violence, released a statement, saying the “suffering that this family is going through is immeasurable.”
“This little boy had his whole life ahead of him,” he wrote, “a life that is currently hanging in the balance because of the reckless mismanagement that ensued at the Astroworld Festival.”
Eight people were killed and hundreds injured in a chaotic crowd surge event during Friday’s Day One of the two-day outdoor festival presented by and starring Travis Scott in Houston. At least two lawsuits have been filed in connection to the deadly event, and more are expected.
“I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night,” Scott wrote in a tweet the morning after the chaos. “My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.”
“I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department, and NRG Park for their immediate response and support,” Scott added. “Love You All.”
The Blounts have launched a GoFundMe effort to help cover young Ezra’s medical care. In the description, Treston Blount wrote that he had his son on his shoulders awaiting Drake to take the stage with Scott when they were crushed by the crowd.
Along with being “thankful for his life and thankful for all the prayers and positivity,” wrote the still-recovering father, “we are asking for donations for his medical bills and anything that comes along with this tragedy.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio podcasts “Dear Culture” or “Acting Up?” Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!
You Might Like
