A concertgoer at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival was declared brain dead after suffering injuries during the crowd surge that killed eight people, according to reports.
Bharti Shahani, a 22-year-old student at Texas A&M University, attended the festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas with her sister and cousin before getting separated in the crowd.
“Once one person fell, people started toppling like dominos. It was like a sinkhole. People were falling on top of each other,” Bharti’s cousin Mohit Bellani told ABC13. “There were like layers of bodies on the ground, like two people thick. We were fighting to come up to the top and breathe to stay alive.”
After getting out of the stampede, both Bellani and Bharti’s sister, Namrata Shahani, lost their cell phones and couldn’t find Bharti.
“Once we let go of her hand, the next time we saw her, we were in the ER,” Namrata told ABC13.
Bharti was given CPR in an ambulance by first responders and taken to Houston Methodist Hospital. She has been in critical condition and on a ventilator since the night of the concert.
Bharti’s parents searched for her at NRG Park and several Houston area hospitals before finding her.
“They took us to her room, and she was bleeding and on a ventilator. Me and my wife were too shocked. We can’t even stand in there,” Bharti’s father Sunny Shahani told ABC13.
After doctors told the family she had no brain activity, Bharti’s family said they were still determining what to do next.
Bharti’s sister set up a GoFundMe page for donations to cover the family’s mounting expenses.
“Bharti is the light of our lives and we are all praying for her full and speedy recovery,” Namrata wrote.
Dozens more people were hospitalized and a nine-year-old boy still remains on life support.
Travis Scott is now facing numerous lawsuits for his role in the incident, including one filed by the parents of the nine-year-old. At least one other concertgoer, Noah Gutierrez, will be represented by high-profile civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump.
