Radiohead Drum Tech Dies in Toronto Stage Collapse
Radiohead has released a statement confirming that their drum tech, Scott Johnson, died when an outdoor stage collapsed before a concert in Toronto on Saturday afternoon.
"We have all been shattered by the loss of Scott Johnson, our friend and colleague," Radiohead drummer Philip Selway wrote in a statement on the band's website. "He was a lovely man, always positive, supportive and funny; a highly skilled and valued member of our great road crew. We will miss him very much. Our thoughts and love are with Scott's family and all those close to him."
At least three others were injured in the incident, Canadian news services report. The stage collapsed around 4 P.M., about one hour before the venue was schedule to open to the 40,000 concertgoers set to attend the sold-out gig.
Reuters reports that 20 or so crew members were working in the stage area when the ceiling of the structure fell from 40-60 feet above. Johnson sustained a "crushing injury" after being trapped under debris.
According to Billboard, Toronto police constable Tony Vella held an emergency press conference on the grounds following the incident. He said, "The one thing that we're going to be doing is working closely with the Ministry of Labour, trying to determine exactly how that stage came down, and we're urging any witnesses that were in the area to come forward. It's going to take us a large amount of time to determine exactly what occurred."
"The big question is how [the collapse occurred]," Vella said. "That is something we will be working closely with the Ministry of Labour to determine exactly how this occurred to prevent any future cases."
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