A 9-year-old boy is among the youngest victims of the Astroworld tragedy.
Eight are dead and hundreds were injured including Ezra Blount, who was “trampled” and separated from his father while attending Travis Scott’s festival on Friday. The boy is currently in a medically-induced coma and on life support at a children’s hospital in Houston.
Ezra’s grandmother tells Rolling Stone that her grandson was being carried on the shoulders of his dad, Treston Blount, when the two became trapped in the crowd surge that started shortly after Scott took the stage at 9 p.m.
“He kept screaming, ‘I can’t breathe.’ But everyone was pushing. It was so tight with no exits. His dad couldn’t breathe at all and passed out. We don’t really know what happened to Ezra after that,” says Tericia Blount.
9-YEAR-OLD EZRA BLOUNT IS IN A COMA THIS MORNING WITH BRAIN DAMAGE. HE WAS ON HIS DAD’S SHOULDERS AT THE ASTROWORLD CONCERT — WHEN HIS DAD SAYS HE COULD NOT BREATHE AND PASSED OUT.
EZRA WAS TRAMPLED. PIC.TWITTER.COM/KEISHIBIPK
— BRIAN ENTIN (@BRIANENTIN) NOVEMBER 9, 2021
Ezra was later found at a nearby hospital listed as a John Doe. His grandmother says he went into cardiac arrest and suffered injuries to his liver, kidney, and brain.
“It’s horrific. We’re just hanging in there, trying to stay strong,” says Tericia, who’s a nurse. “He has injuries to his kidney, to his lung, to his liver. Basically every organ has damage. He had cardiac arrest. His heart is weak and has damage as well. And his brain has swelling, and he’s in an induced coma. They’re just trying to keep him comfortable and trying to figure out a plan for him. They tried to take him off the medications that were paralyzing him, to keep him still, and they had to put him back on. We’re just at that place right now, just hoping for the best in spite of all the negative information.”
The family has retained attorney Benjamin Crump and is suing Travis and Live Nation, accusing them of gross negligence. Ezra and his father are seeking general damages, as well as exemplary damages.
“The suffering that this family is going through is immeasurable. This little boy had his whole life ahead of him — a life that is currently hanging in the balance because of the reckless mismanagement that ensued at the Astroworld Festival,” Crump said in a statement. “We ask everyone to send up the most powerful prayers they can as this family tries to grapple with the undoable damage that has been done to their son. We demand justice for EB, his family, and all of our clients that left Astroworld with trauma.”
Ezra’s family has launched a GoFundMe to help cover the costs of Ezra’s medical care. Over $20,000 has been raised so far.
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