By Canadian Press

Coroner’s inquest into deadly stage collapse at Radiohead show reconvenes

Apr 10, 2019 | 9:08 AM

TORONTO — A coroner’s inquest into the death of a drum technician who was crushed when a stage collapsed before a Radiohead concert is reconvening roughly a day after the jury began its deliberations.

Jurors have been tasked with examining the circumstances surrounding the death of Scott Johnson, who died hours before the band was set to play in Toronto in June 2012.

They may issue recommendations aimed at preventing such deaths in the future but have been told they are not to assign blame for the incident.

The coroner’s counsel laid out a list of 25 proposed recommendations in his closing submissions Tuesday, with some aimed at the provincial and federal governments, the entertainment industry and the engineering profession.

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Over several weeks of testimony, the inquest has heard plans for the stage contained several errors, the wrong construction materials were used in building the roof structure and there was no independent oversight of the project.

Charges were laid under occupational health and safety laws against the show’s promoter, Live Nation, contractor Optex Staging and Domenic Cugliari, the engineer who signed off on the stage plans. They were later stayed because the trial took too long.

Johnson’s family and Radiohead have been critical of the judicial process, saying they felt no one was being held accountable for the deadly incident.

“I hope that no one is in doubt that Scott’s life could have been saved,” Johnson’s father, Ken Johnson, said in his closing submissions.

“Looking back to 2012, I know that none of the parties wanted this stage to collapse or for Scott to die. However, I have to say that the levels of incompetence are clearly staggering.”

The Canadian Press