Radiohead say the Scott Johnson inquest verdict falls short

The Ontario coroner's inquest into the death of Scott Johnson, Radiohead's drum technician, closed in Toronto on Wednesday with a verdict of accidental death. On Thursday the band said in a statement that the inquest had been fair and thorough and had exposed the negligence and failings behind his death, but that the verdict was not enough. A verdict of Accidental Death was returned, which feels frustratingly insufficient given that the stage collapse was shown to be preventable.³

Johnson, 33, was killed when the stage roof at Downsview Park collapsed on 16 June 2012, hours before Radiohead were due to play. The charges were stayed in September 2017, and Ontario's chief coroner opened the inquest on 25 March. Over about two weeks of evidence, from Phil Selway and Ken Johnson among others, the five jurors heard that the stage plans contained errors, the wrong materials went into the roof and nobody independent checked the work.

The jury made 28 recommendations, none of them legally binding. Companies that build temporary stages would be licensed, and riggers working on Ontario venues certified much as electricians are. A permanent working group on the live performance industry, funded by the province, would be set up by December, and Ken Johnson, who advises on scaffolding safety in Britain, has been named to it. The band called the recommendations sound and practical, and said it was up to everyone to see them carried out.

Outside the coroner's court, Ken Johnson said the end of the process brought some closure. There’s hardly a month gone by in the last seven years where I’m not involved in some dialogue about Scott and what’s happened⁴. He would be disappointed, he said, if nothing changed.