The family of a Logan teenager killed at a rock concert in the Salt Palace Friday has hired a San Diego law firm to seek a substantial judgment from those who may have contributed to the death of their son, Curtis.
"There is no question that we will sue - and very quickly," said R. Craig Clark, the San Diego attorney hired by the boy's parents.Curtis Child, 14, was one of three teens crushed to death when the crowd surged forward during a concert of the hard rock group AC/DC. Also killed were Elizabeth Glausi, 19, a Brigham Young University student from Eugene, Ore., and Jimmy Boyd, 14, Salt Lake City.
"It's clear this happened out of greed," Clark said. The Salt Palace used festival seating to pack more youngsters into the Salt Palace and allow everyone a shot at a front-row seat by crowding forward, he said.
"They appear to have put profit and greed above the safety of the kids," said Clark.
The Child family is the only family to retain a lawyer at this point. A spokesman for the Glausi family said Elizabeth's parents have already discussed hiring a lawyer, but have made no firm plans.
"When things have calmed down, and the family has settled into the reality of Elizabeth's death, her parents will make a decision," he said.
The family of Jimmy Boyd said it wants to meet with the families of other victims to discuss legal action.
"We will never be able to bring Curtis back, but hopefully the judicial system will provide some justice to these people for what was done to them," Clark said. He said he expects to reap that justice from Salt Lake County, concert promoters and the rock band.
"There are obviously several people responsible," he said. "We don't know who they all are yet, but these are certainly the initial ones."
Clark's firm, McClellan and Associates, specializes in personal-injury work and often wins large awards for its clients. Asked about the firm's track record, Clark cited a case against Ford Motor Co.
The firm won $6 million from Ford for the death of one boy and injury of another boy in a head-on collision, he said. The boys were riding in the back seat of a Ford, wearing lap seat belts, the only protection offered to back-seat riders in the car. The second boy remains paralyzed.
Ford now installs shoulder-harness seat belts in the back seats of its cars.
The Child family heard about Clark through mutual acquaintances. Clark formerly lived in Utah.