Father hopes for Radiohead closure
He expects inquest next year: ‘It needs to be clear ... people need to see what’s happened’
TORONTO — The father of Scott Johnson, the British drum technician killed in the Radiohead stage collapse in Toronto six years ago, says he expects a coroner’s inquest into the incident to begin early next year.
Ken Johnson said he spoke with Ontario’s chief coroner on Wednesday — a day before the band returned to Toronto for their first concert since the fatal collapse in 2012 — and was told the tentative window for the inquest has been set for February or March.
A representative for the office declined to confirm the timeline.
Starting the proceedings would be a step toward what Johnson hopes will acknowledge the series of events that led to his son’s death, and ensure safety precautions are in place to prevent a similar accident.
“They can’t bring Scott back — that’s obviously painful,” Johnson said in an interview from Birmingham on Thursday.
“But it needs to be clear. I think people need to see what’s happened.”
Scott Johnson, 33, was killed on June 16, 2012, when part of a massive stage structure crashed down just hours before Radiohead was to perform at Downsview Park. Three others were injured.
Charges were laid in the case against the show’s promoter Live Nation, engineer Domenic Cugliari and contractor Optex Staging under provincial health and safety laws.
Those charges were stayed last year after a judge ruled the matter took too long to get to trial.
The development shifted the focus to a coroner’s inquest, which is an independent investigation designed to bring public attention on the circumstances of a death, rather than to assign blame.
Johnson, who himself has spent roughly 18 years as a technical adviser for the U.K. scaffolding industry, said he hopes the inquest will bring some closure.
He believes no one has taken responsibility in the case.
He said he remains in touch with Radiohead’s band members and was invited to attend the Toronto concert as a guest.
But he declined the offer, he said, to focus on the upcoming inquest.
“As much as I’d love to have been with them,” Johnson said, “I thought, it’s going to be a pretty tough night for them anyway.
“I don’t think I could probably add anything or make any better for them or the crew really.
“It’s something they’re going to find they’re going through on their own.”
Radiohead was scheduled to perform two shows in Toronto — Thursday and Friday — at the newly-named downtown Scotiabank Arena.