ER doctors call for end to raves at L.A. Coliseum after scores fall ill, most from drug use

Several emergency room physicians Monday called for an end to raves at the Los Angeles Coliseum and Exposition Park after a massive weekend event sent scores of teenagers and young adults to hospitals, mostly for drug intoxication.

At least two people were in the intensive care unit for drug intoxication at California Hospital Medical Center, including one minor. Another minor was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital comatose; the minor had drunk from another attendee’s water bottle without realizing it had been laced with drugs.

Dr. Philip Fagan Jr., medical director of Good Samaritan’s emergency department, said the youth was unconscious for eight hours before waking up and recalling what had taken place.

Raves, Fagan said, “should never be held any longer at the Coliseum.”

Problems at the Electric Daisy Carnival,  which attracted 185,000, follow other recent high-profile incidents at similar events held at other public facilities.

At least 18 drug overdoses tied to Ecstasy were reported at a New Year’s Eve rave held at the Los Angeles Sports Arena – located in the same complex as the Coliseum -- and two men died of suspected drug overdoses during a Memorial Day weekend rave at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.

The rave held over the weekend at the Coliseum, which is just south of downtown Los Angeles, was touted by organizers as the largest such party in North America. By the event's conclusion about 120 people required transport by paramedics to local hospitals, according to the county emergency medical services agency. The number does not include patients who went to emergency rooms on their own or were taken by friends.

Cathy Chidester, director of the county emergency medical services agency, said officials treat raves at the Coliseum like a “multi-casualty incident,” which she said was similar to planning for a disaster like the Chatsworth Metrolink train crash, which killed 25 and left more than 130 others injured.

In an interview Monday, Dr. Marc Futernick, medical director of emergency services at California Hospital Medical Center, called it “unconscionable” for a publicly owned facility such as the Coliseum to host raves.

“I don’t know why our elected … leaders would allow these activities to take place,” Futernick said.

“This is basically a government-encouraged … drug fest. That’s the wrong message,” said Dr. Brian Johnston, director of the emergency room at White Memorial Medical Center. “It’s putting people at risk unnecessarily. It’s putting people’s health at risk.”

The Coliseum, built on state land, is run under the authority of a joint city, county and state commission. The Coliseum does not receive any taxpayer subsidy and is financially independent. It is expected to earn well over six figures from the weekend rave, or as much profit as a couple of USC games, said Pat Lynch, its general manager.

Lynch said the ill attendees were handled appropriately, and said the Coliseum and the organizers had been in contact with fire, police and medical agencies to prepare for the event.

“Everything was done in an orderly fashion,” Lynch said. “When you’ve got 185,000 people coming to anything, there’s incidents .… Over the course of two days, stuff happens.”

Lynch noted that police were on hand to arrest people who possessed or were selling narcotics.

“Are we happy that there’s drugs? No. But on the other hand, we take every step we can to minimize it,” said Lynch. “There’s a reason 185,000 people were here. They’re quality events. My kids came and had a ball.”

-- Rong-Gong Lin II

Photo: Attendees at the 2009 Electric Daisy Carnival dance the night away. The event, in its 14th year, returned this weekend to the L.A. Coliseum. Credit: Drew Ressler / June 19, 2009

Comments

[BillN]

Raves shouldn't take place in LA or anywhere else for that matter if not properly monitored. Banning them from well staffed metropolitan areas pushes these all night parties onto more rural areas , increasingly further from medical care.

[El Fweido]

Kids can't hang anymore!

[Mr Picachoo]

I wonder if The Mayor got free tickets?

[chuck hodi]

120 out of 185,000 people? That's actually not that bad.

[Dan]

Cancel the entire event, because less than 0.1% of the people attending took too many drugs. This makes no sense.

[jon]

poor kids on the loose!!!...the doctor is right...why do these elected officials allow this kind of activity...do they also have kids???...do they care about the future of these kids or even the future of humanity???...poor souls....

[WOW]

HA! Oh please. Look I admit there is a horrible drug problem but because a few kids made some bad decisions doesn't mean NO MORE RAVES. Like I said I do agree but I also have a strong passion for this music and EDC is THE forefront for raves and like so many like myself plan their entire year around this event and would not miss it. I hope they don't cancel this event and others like it, instead maybe increase the age limit or tighter security or SOMETHING but please oh please let EDC live on.

[Jin]

i dont' know why doctor are complain... people die everyday.. is their choice to take drugs.. if they die no one to blame but themselves.. they probably dont' think about their love ones the first places.. and people die everyday around the world.. either get shot.. or accident.. is life is a cycle....

and doctor come on you make six digit salary.. it just work.. your doing.. the more people come to hospital the more money u make.. i seen 4 grand bill for a little cut.. plus you guys get over time.. you make all these money and you complain about taking care of someone.. because they are drug overdooz or injury.. is their choice to go to these events.. if these event didn't exists.. what will you be doing? sitting there enjoy your cup of coffee? and making a more than average Americans?

[Omar]

Raves aren't all about drugs.. It's about just having the night of your life dancing along to the music you like. surrounded by people who enjoy the same thing. People should know how to limit thereselves with all this drug use, I don't blame anyone or anything, but them..

[Howie]

If drugs were legal there would be no one getting sick from bad drugs.
We have no idea how many of the incidents were from people over doing it vs having bad stuff. That being said the people who go to these events are most amateurs. Hardcore dance music heads go to events that are more hush hush.

Also shame on the rave scene. It was taboo to dose people in Deadhead circles. Ravers think its funny. It's not.

[Howie]

If drugs were legal there would be no one getting sick from bad drugs.
We have no idea how many of the incidents were from people over doing it vs having bad stuff. That being said the people who go to these events are most amateurs. Hardcore dance music heads go to events that are more hush hush.

Also shame on the rave scene. It was taboo to dose people in Deadhead circles. Ravers think its funny. It's not.

[Lisa Porter]

Why are white kids allowed to publicly consume drugs and engage in public intoxication? How much in public employee overtime did this cost the city? Doesn't the city have major budget problems? The organizers of this event should reimburse the city for any overtime or extra expenses incurred.

[Tim Jensen]

Back in my day, we had to walk fifteen miles in the snow to drop MDMA. These kids today have it too easy and maybe we need to thin the herd.

[Dontblamethemusic]

The problem is these "shows" are ALL AGES!!! This would not happen if they were 21 and over! The event planners just want the Cash and dont care about the lives.

[Zach]

Hey Doc, the problem isn't the venue, it's human nature. In a free society, people do stupid things, people get hurt in rage and revelry. You took the job of fixing them up. At least having that revelry at the Coliseum gives you a head start at helping people and the city the chance to regulate the thing.

[McCrazy]

185,000 and only 120 needing medical attention. Seems like a quiet weekend in LA. My kids went and had the time of their life.

[Rational]

Let's put things into perspective here folks: 185,000 people attended EDC and only 120 were injured. That means that .006% of the attendees had to receive emergency care. At every Trojans game, a higher percentage are hospitalized for serious medical conditions and fights to due to being drunk . Enough with the moral panic.

[lootatthebigpicture]

I drove down MLK Blvd this morning and saw the left overs of the event. If I was a resident or business owner in the area I would be very upset with the amount of trash in the streets, on the side walks and in the yards that came as a result of the rave. From my understanding the event generated about 15 million dollars profit. Why not spend some of that money on a few street sweepers and guys with brooms and trash bags?

[Jesse Rorabaugh]

Living in a free country means allowing people to do risky things when they don't hurt other people. We don't ban rock climbing because someone fell; we don't ban guns because someone shot themself in the foot; we don't ban skydiving because someone forgot to pull their parachute; we don't ban driving because someone ran off a cliff; and we sure as hell don't ban partying because someone got sick.

Warn people of the dangers, if they are minors warn their parents too. That is the biggest response this incident might justify.

[ERRN]

I think that the doc is actually complaining about the 120 UNINSURED patients that were transported to the emergency departments. If they all had PPO, $250.00 deductable, no-cap health insurance, he would have set up a tent to make sure that they all fit at his ED.

And, how many of these folks actually required emergent care; that is, how many remained hospitalized 23 hours later? Coming into contact with the emergency medical system is like coming into contact with law enforcement - they will aggravate/elevate the situation in order to justify their existence. The difference is that the docs will bill for it.

Mr. Jensen - I could not agree more with your post!

[Jay]

Those number of overdoses and hospital visits is a pretty low percentage for there being 185,000 people on two hot summer days.

[koi]

20/185 000? Not too bad, for kids.

How about alcohol? How many accidents were caused by drunk teenagers? Want to ban beer and spirits?

[Eugene]

LA times an article like this after every big massive. It really annoys me, and its a form of M.A.D.D. PTA-Mom type hysteria. 185k present at the two nights, any event of that size is going to have some people needing first aid. People off themselves in all sorts of different ways, extreme sports, driving the highways of LA, I see no reason why the nanny-state has to stop the slightly less than 185k people who were there and had a blast and were nothing but tired the day after. Think about it.

[Sen. Souder]

Another minor was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital comatose; the minor had drunk from another attendee’s water bottle without realizing it had been laced with drugs.

That is the same lie that every kid who tripped way too hard tells their parents... After getting caught that is.

But raves should not be hosted by a city or municipality regardless. They should remain underground it abandoned warehouses and buildings in the worst part of any town in America.

[Eric]

yeah, 120 hospitalizations from a multi day event that has 185, 000 doesn't sound bad. They again post the propaganda that 18 people OD'd during on ecstasy during the NYE when in reality it was a multi-drug problem. Based upon past experience, most problems at raves and clubs are either alcohol related, dehydration issues, or multi-drug (including alcohol). They need to release the full reports on the 120.