Over the weekend, Salt Lake City, Utah, planned to play host to the RedWest Festival. Promoting the event over the last few months, stars like Post Malone, Noah Kahan, The Red Clay Strays, Ella Langley, and numerous others were expected to perform on Saturday. With such big names, fans were eager to get the perfect spot for the show. Sadly, Mother Nature had other plans as a storm ripped through the area, costing one music lover their life.
Videos by American Songwriter
Although organizers hoped to continue the festival, the weather worsened as the day went on. Eventually, the festival strongly urged fans to seek shelter or use one of the shuttle buses to stay safe. At the same time, RedWest Festival added, “We’re truly sorry and appreciate your patience and understanding. Please stay tuned to our social channels and check your email for further updates and next steps.”
While taking their advice, 23-year-old Ava Ahlander decided to exit her car during a part of the storm. At that time, a piece of debris flying through the air struck her. Injured, Ahlander was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. She was later pronounced dead from the accident.
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RedWest Festival Facing Class Action Lawsuit
Creating a GoFundMe for Ahlander, her family remembered the “adventurous spirit” that inspired the music fan to explore the world. “We are heartbroken to share that Ava Ahlander tragically passed away this weekend following an accident at the Redwest Music Festival. Ava was a beautiful soul whose kindness, warmth, and adventurous spirit touched everyone around her.”
As for the other thousands of fans who had to vacate the area, they were offered a free ticket to Sunday’s shows, which would not feature some of the Saturday performers. Not thrilled about the offer, Derrick Yerkes decided to start a class action lawsuit against the RedWest Festival. But it had little to do with getting a refund.
Explaining how unorganized the festival was when it came to handling the storm, Yerkes insisted via KUTV, “We were trying to leave, and they didn’t open any of the emergency exits. People were being pushed every which way. We probably spent 20 minutes trying to leave, and we left right as they announced it.”
With Yerkes and countless others waiting on updates from the RedWest Festival, he concluded, “The communication was not what they promised and was not there. We didn’t know what to do.”
(Photo by SWNS/Avalon/Getty Images)
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