Music fan seriously hurt by stage diver wins $2M settlement

ASBURY PARK, N.J. – A New Hampshire man who suffered serious spinal injuries when a stage diver landed on his head during a concert in New Jersey has reached a $2 million settlement with the show’s organizer.

Jason Kooken, 46, of Exeter, was injured at an April 2017 punk music festival staged at Convention Hall in Asbury Park. His lawsuit claimed that security working for the organizer, Asbury Audio, knew that stage diving was happening and did nothing to stop it.

According to Kooken’s lawyers, the stage diver walked past security staffers, climbed on the stage, pointed and then “corkscrewed his body” over the band’s lead singer. He landed on Kooken, who couldn’t leave his spot near the stage because of mosh pits behind him, his lawyers said.

Kooken underwent spinal surgery at a hospital in New Jersey and has since recovered from his injuries.