A man has died on the Coachella campgrounds in Indio, California, as USA Today local affiliate Desert Sun and TMZ report. According to the reports, the man was a stagehand working on the festival setup (weekend one of Coachella is set to begin Friday, April 12). TMZ reports that he fell from stage scaffolding to the ground and sustained fatal injuries. According to Indio police spokesperson Ben Guitron, speaking to the Desert Sun, the worker “fell from a roof and perished at the scene,” and the incident has been reported to the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In a statement to Pitchfork, representatives for Coachella said of the incident:
Today, Goldenvoice lost a colleague, a friend, a family member. Our friend fell while working on a festival stage. It is with heavy hearts and tremendous difficulty that we confirm his passing. He has been with our team for twenty years in the desert and was doing what he loved. He was a hard-working and loving person that cared deeply about his team. As our lead rigger, he was responsible for the countless incredible shows that have been put on at the festival. We will miss him dearly.
The last time a death occurred on the Coachella grounds was in 2014, when a festival-goer collapsed and then later died following an apparent drug overdose.
https://pitchfork.com/news/coachella-stagehand-dies-after-falling-in-staging-area
