Death of drum technician in Radiohead stage collapse subject of Ontario coroner's inquest


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Five years after Radiohead’s stage collapsed resulting in the death of a drum technician in a north Toronto park, CBC News has learned Ontario’s chief coroner will hold an inquest into the incident.


The long-awaited move was announced Thursday afternoon by the office of Ontario’s chief coroner amid a campaign by the U.K. rock band, British MPs and a CBC News investigation. 


  • ‘I feel so let down by Canada’: Radiohead and drum tech’s parents demand answers in his Toronto death

  • ‘Into the ground like a whack-a-mole’: Survivor of Radiohead stage collapse angry at lack of answers

Scott Johnson, 33, was crushed beneath a 2,270-kilogram video monitor that had been suspended from the outdoor stage in Downsview Park on June 16, 2012. The incident happened hours before Radiohead was due to perform. 


“The inquest will examine the events surrounding Mr. Johnson’s death,” a statement read. 


The office of Ontario’s chief coroner said a jury is expected to make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths. When and where the inquest will be held will be announced later, a statement said. 


Behind the scenes, Radiohead had recently been in contact with Ontario officials seeking an inquest because of what they feel is a lack of answers and accountability for what ultimately caused the stage to crumple inward, despite a yearlong investigation by the Ontario Ministry of Labour and two court cases.


Radiohead had previously told CBC News it wanted to use its influence to pressure authorities to get answers and some small measure of closure for Johnson’s parents, Ken and Sue. They had also been meeting with British MPs who wrote letters to the Canadian High Commission demanding something be done. 


  • Charges in fatal Radiohead stage collapse stayed over lengthy trial delays

  • Radiohead ‘appalled’ by staying of charges in fatal stage collapse case

Last September, Ontario court Judge Ann Nelson dismissed all 13 charges under Ontario health and safety laws in the case against Live Nation, Optex Staging Services and engineer Domenic Cugliari, who had been hired to design the stage, because the justice system had failed in allowing the case to take far too long to come to trial. Proceedings began in Ontario Court of Justice in 2013.


Nelson ruled the inordinate delays had violated the rights of those charged to a timely hearing. The three defendant’s had all pleaded not guilty.


In 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada decided that delays beyond 30 months for Superior Court cases and 18 months in provincial courts violate an accused’s Charter right to be tried within a reasonable time.




Article source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/rohingya-challenge-pope-francis-silence-myanmar-171130164008316.html

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