DJ Steve Aoki — recently listed in Forbes as one of the highest-paid DJs in the world — is known for his audience-interactive antics, which include cake-throwing, spraying crowds with champagne and jumping off stage with fans in between mixes. He is a well-intentioned madman of sorts, but unfortunately, his adrenaline-seeking actions left one concert attendee with a terrible injury a few years ago. In May 2012, during a show at San Diego’s Hard Rock Hotel, Aoki scaled some stage scaffolding, jumped about 20 feet and landed on an inflatable life raft. Unfortunately, a young woman named Brittany Hickman, who was visiting from Scottsdale, Arizona, was trapped under the raft and broke her neck during the process.
Hickman told ABC San Diego 10 News last year that she was knocked unconscious and carried out by a security guard. She woke up shortly afterward, disoriented about her whereabouts, and despite her obvious confusion — an indication of head trauma — she was released back into the crowd. Her pain worsened after the concert and after a CAT scan, doctors confirmed that she had broken her neck and was lucky she hadn’t been paralyzed. Hickman filed a suit against Aoki and the Hard Rock Hotel after they refused to pay for her medical treatment or refund her for two months she couldn’t work. Aoki settled out of court, and yesterday a two-week trial ended with a jury finding a majority verdict in favor of Hard Rock.
Following the verdict in favor of the venue, Aoki issued a statement through his publicity team apologizing to Hickman. The statement said: “Steve would never want anyone to get hurt at one of his shows and is sorry Ms. Hickman did. After they reached a confidential settlement, they had the chance to speak, and Steve got the chance to apologize. The favorable verdict for his co-defendant, Hard Rock Hotel, brings welcome closure to all parties.”
