Photo Op Takes Tragic Turn at Chicago Music Festival

Clear Facts:

• Two Lollapalooza concert attendees were severely electrocuted while taking selfies on the train tracks near the festival venue. One of them suffered cardiac arrest.
• The accident transpired when a male leaned onto an electrified rail and then inadvertently electrocuted a female next to him.
• The exact ages of the victims are currently unconfirmed, with sources providing varying accounts. The festival, Lollapalooza, is an annual event held in Chicago

On August 5, 2023, near the Lollapalooza music festival, two concertgoers experienced a severe electrocution incident when they inadvertently made contact with an electrified rail at the Ridgeland Green Line stop in Oak Park.

As a result of the accident, one of the victims suffered cardiac arrest.

The incident occurred around 7 p.m., with a group of young festival attendees recording themselves while positioned on the train tracks.

The situation rapidly escalated when one male participant leaned back and touched the electrified rail. His immediate reaction was to grasp at the female nearby, causing her also to experience electrocution. The two then toppled backward together.

The New York Post indicated that the third rail emitted an electrical discharge of 600 volts.

Another male participant, dressed in a white hooded sweatshirt, initially hesitated to intervene upon witnessing the electrocution, likely because he felt a shock himself. However, on his second attempt, he managed to pull the two victims clear of the rail.

Several friends, who were initially on an adjacent platform, hurriedly descended to offer assistance to the injured duo.

Emergency responders from the Oak Park Fire Department swiftly arrived on the scene. The male victim was in a state of cardiac arrest and, alongside the female, who was still conscious, was urgently transported to Loyola Medical Center for medical attention.

The exact age of the victims remains a topic of speculation. The Mirror, a UK-based publication, suggested that the individuals were teenagers, but this detail hasn’t been confirmed by other sources.

On the other hand, first responders informed the Daily Mail that they believed the victims to be in their 20s. The New York Post has yet to confirm the names, ages, and the precise nature of the injuries sustained by the victims.

ScienceABC.com highlighted that while fatalities have been reported with as little as 42 volts, it’s the electrical current that poses the most significant risk.

What is Lollapalooza?

Lollapalooza is a renowned annual music event held over four days in Grant Park, Chicago.

The festival has seen various iterations, including tour stops in the early to mid-90s and a digital version in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notably, a 1996 episode of the animated show “The Simpsons” titled “Homerpalooza” humorously portrayed Lollapalooza attendees as “depressed” teenagers.

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