Investigation Finds 'Insufficient Evidence' To Prosecute Falls Festival Organisers Over 2016 Stampede

A WorkSafe Victoria investigation into last year's stampede at Falls Festival's Lorne event has found "insufficient evidence" to move forward with any further action against its organisers, Ash Sounds Pty Ltd.

As ABC reports, WorkSafe Victoria released a statement today that explained that its investigation had shown that "all the conditions imposed by various bodies in relation to the event, such as crowd control, crowd size, and positioning and size of exits, had been met".

"As a result, WorkSafe found there was insufficient evidence to establish any offence under the 2004 OHS Act and no further action will be taken."

Despite being cleared of wrongdoing by WorkSafe, Falls Festival is still facing a class action lawsuit from several people injured in and affected by the crowd crush, which hospitalised 19 people and saw 76 receive first-aid treatment as a result.

Victorian legal firm Maddens Lawyers is representing the distressed parties, with lawyer Brendan Pendergast telling triple j's Hack program earlier this year: “The allegation is that if proper care and attention had been taken to configuring the area where the acts were taking place, and the scheduling of the successive acts this stampede would not have occurred, that this was entirely avoidable."

Falls will go ahead around the country regardless this December and January, with both Lorne and Byron Bay having already sold out.

See the event's website for more information.