The organisers of Falls Festival have announced a counselling service for victims of the crowd crush at the December 30 event.
A Facebook post reads: “We have given details for a 24 hour counselling service we have set up and we are ensuring these patrons have the relevant contacts they need for future communication and follow up, which we have made clear is open and available at any time.
“We are currently undertaking investigations into the incident. This process is ongoing, with various parties involved, and we are endeavouring to do this as quickly and as thoroughly as possible to be able to deal with all enquiries.
“We want to ensure the correct protocol is being followed so that all involved are given the depth of consideration they need to give them the chance to get the best possible outcome. We want to get this right, for the long term, so it is imperative that the correct procedures are followed.”
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The announcement came hot on the heels of a troubling Hack story, in which a 22-year old punter detailed her shocking ordeal at the festival, which has left her with a broken pelvis, extremely swollen face, and facing a recovery time of over three months, during which she is unable to work.
“I remember letting go of my friend’s hand when I fell,” the woman, named Maddy, told Hack. “I fell over the girls who had fallen down, and I kind of flipped and went on my back and started getting dragged along the ground. That’s when panic set in – I started screaming.
“People just started piling on top of me. I was still moving until it wasn’t possible for me to move myself. I don’t know how many people were on top of me but I was at the very bottom.
“I was screaming until I couldn’t anymore because the air was crushed out of my lungs.
“I remember telling myself, ‘go up for air, go up for air’, but I couldn’t move at all. It wasn’t painful being crushed, it was more painful not being able to breathe.
“I couldn’t move any limbs and my head was to the side facing down. There were legs next to me and I remember biting someone to try and get them to pull me up.”
