A Memorial Day weekend event in South Carolina turned into a massive stampede that caused at least 12 people to be hospitalized. Reportedly, fights broke out at a bike festival, which caused panic among the event’s attendees.
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According to Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR), following disturbance reports, crews were dispatched to 30th Avenue in Atlantic Beach at around 11:56 p.m. on Saturday, May 24. The Atlantic Beach Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival was held in the area at the time.
As reported by The Sun News, several fights broke out during the Saturday night concerts at the festival. This caused panic among the crowd. Attendees stormed out of the area, eventually leading to a stampede that resulted in at least 12 people being hospitalized. However, The Independent, citing Atlantic Beach Police Interim Chief Carlos Castillo, reported that 19 people were hospitalized.
As per The Independent, victims suffered from dehydration, heat exhaustion, or were trampled during the stampede. Fortunately, as per HCFR, all victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The HCFR, which reports 12 people injured, also added that six people signed medical transport waivers.
Despite the statement, the festival resumed its activities, and it closed at around 3 a.m. According to police, normal activities will resume on Monday, May 26, at around 3 p.m.
Reactions
Many attendees recalled the frightening moments taking place at the event. Among them is De’vashia Gibson, who fell during the stampede.
“The person in front of me, he fell, which caused me to fall,” Gibson told WPDE. “She fell which caused my other two sisters to fall and I just remember like on my way down, I just was praying like Lord I don’t wanna die like this because you can die in a doggone stampede.”
Similarly, Cassandra Hepburn said that the incident was “very scary.”
“People don’t need to play if they were playing or a false narrative because all it can do is take one person to get out of character and everybody start to act like animals,” Hepburn added.
Earlier reports labeled the incident as a mass casualty event. However, the Atlantic Beach Mayor Pro Tem, John David, told WPDE that it was not the case.
“There was absolutely no mass casualty. I don’t know who would say that, that’s ridiculous,” David said. “When you think of mass casualty, you think of deaths.”
Similarly, a statement released by Atlantic Beach Police Interim Chief Carlos Castillo dismissed the “mass casualty” narrative.
“We sincerely regret that anyone was injured,” Castillo said. “But we also regret the unfactual information that is being falsely spread about the Atlantic Beach Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival.”
A mass casualty incident (MCI), according to the National Library of Medicine, is “an event that overwhelms the local healthcare system, where the number of casualties vastly exceeds the local resources and capabilities in a short time.”
Merriam-Webster defines a casualty as “a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed.” While associated with deaths, a casualty, then, is not used exclusively to refer to a fatality.