Steve Aoki apologises for breaking fan’s neck

DJ jumped 20ft and landed on Brittany Hickman’s neck

Steve Aoki has apologised after breaking a fan’s neck during one of his shows.

Aoki is known for extravagant gimmicks at his concerts, including throwing cakes and crowdsurfing on inflatable rafts.

During a show at San Diego’s Hard Rock Hotel in 2013, Aoki threw a life raft into the crowd, climbed the stage equipment and jumped 20ft from a balcony.

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Concertgoer Brittany Hickman was stood directly under the raft, and her neck broke when Aoki landed from the balcony.

Hickman sued Aoki and Hard Rock for £6.25m, after they refused to pay for her medical treatment or refund her for the two months Hickman was unable to work following her injury.

A two-week trial ended yesterday (August 18), with a jury finding by a majority verdict of 10-2 in favour of Hard Rock. Aoki had previously settled out of court with Hickman before the trial began.

Following the verdict in favour of Hard Rock, Aoki issued a statement through his PR apologising 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 apologise. The favorable verdict for his co-defendant, Hard Rock Hotel, brings welcome closure to all parties.”

Earlier this week, Aoki was named as one of the highest-paid DJs in the world in a survey by financial magazine Forbes. In 2015, Aoki earned £18.1m, making him the fifth-highest paid DJ behind Calvin Harris, Tiesto, David Guetta and Zedd.

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