Posted by Radiohead have commented on the “negligence” that led to the death of drum technician Scott Johnson.
The technician was killed in a stage collapse at Toronto’s Downsview Park in June 2012, and the incident has remained the subject of debate ever since.
Domenic Cugliari, the engineer who was responsible for the design of the stage that collapsed, was levied with charges by Ontario’s Ministry of Labour in 2013.
An Ontario court judge stayed the charges in 2017, which had also implicated Live Nation, and scaffolding services Optex.
The Discipline Committee of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) held a hearing with Cugliari recently, in which he admitted the “errors” and “negligence” that led to the incident.
Scott Johnson’s father, Ken Johnson, attended the hearing – he is an expert in the scaffolding industry himself, and supplied a statement to Pitchfork.
He commented: “No one wanted this to happen, but it could have been avoided. It is very difficult to control feelings after eight years of misery, and, trust me, time is not a healer. I look professionally and hope that this will not happen again, but no one has yet come forward with new procedures to my knowledge.”
Ken Johnson added that Scott was their “only child, and such a great man.”
Radiohead have issued a full statement, once more saluting Scott Johnson as “our tour technician and our friend”.
Referring to Cugliari’s testimony, the band write: “These admissions are 8 years too late. If the evidence now accepted by Mr Cugliari had been agreed at the original court case brought against him, LiveNation and the contractor Optex Staging, it would have been complete in one day, with a very different outcome and some justice…”
Find the statement below.
would have been delivered. As it is, Mr Cugliari has now retired and, is seemingly beyond any legal recrimination.
This is a sad day. Our thoughts and love are, as ever, with Scott’s parents, Ken and Sue Johnson, his family and friends, and our crew.— Radiohead (@radiohead) November 20, 2020