Radiohead say stage engineer's admissions come eight years too late

Domenic Cugliari, the engineer who designed and approved the stage that collapsed at Downsview Park in Toronto in June 2012, killing Radiohead's drum technician Scott Johnson, admitted a long list of errors and his own negligence at a Professional Engineers Ontario disciplinary hearing on Monday 16 November. The regulator found him guilty of professional misconduct, for an inadequate review of the construction of a temporary stage structure, and revoked his licence. It also fined Construction Control Inc., the company that authorised the stage's construction, $5,000.

Ontario's Ministry of Labour charged Live Nation, the contractor Optex Staging and Cugliari in 2013 under the province's Occupational Health and Safety Act. The first trial ended in a mistrial when its judge was promoted, and in 2017 a judge stayed the charges because the case had taken too long to come to a verdict.

Radiohead answered on Friday 20 November in a statement on Instagram and Twitter. These admissions are 8 years too late.¹ Had Cugliari agreed the same evidence at the original trial, the band say, it would have been over in a day, with a very different outcome and some justice done. As it is, Mr Cugliari has now retired and, is seemingly beyond any legal recrimination.¹

The band called it a sad day and sent their love to Scott's parents, Ken and Sue Johnson, to his family and friends, and to their crew.

Ken Johnson, who works in scaffolding himself, sat through the six-hour hearing. Scott was their only child, he told Pitchfork.

No one wanted this to happen, but it could have been avoided.

Ken Johnson⁴

It is very difficult to control feelings after eight years of misery, and, trust me, time is not a healer.

Ken Johnson⁴