Several patrons at Red Rocks Amphitheatre ended up with more “rock” than they bargained for Saturday after being struck by falling rocks near the end of a Sound Tribe Sector Nine concert. According to KMGH-TV, rocks began tumbling down a 300-foot precipice around 1 a.m. at the natural amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, leaving seven concertgoers bloodied with broken bones and head injuries.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Three of the four sent to the hospital have already been released. Jennifer Ackerman, 34, remains in critical condition with multiple facial fractures and several staples in her skull. Witness Jason Hewett said that another young concertgoer suffered a severe arm injury with “bone sticking out of the kid’s arm.”

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Red Rocks, an outdoor concert venue owned by the city of Denver, is known for it’s breathtaking panoramas and world-class acoustics aided by two massive rock formations that encompass the amphitheatre. According to Kristin Rust of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, this is the first reported instance of rockfall injuries in at least 23 years at the 105-year old amphitheatre.

Hewett believes the incident was a result of fellow concertgoers trying to scale one of the rock formations, an offense punishable by a $1,000.00 fine and potential jail time. Detective John White of the Denver Police Department said officials checked the formation after the concert for signs of perpetrators but found none, though he conceded that it’s possible they had climbed down without detection.

For more information on the rockfall accident, visit: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/29148878/detail.html

http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-redrocks-rockfall-20110911,0,6007384.story

http://www.heyreverb.com/2011/09/12/red-rocks-falling-rocks/