Naperville families of best friends killed at Travis Scott Astroworld concert file lawsuits

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The families of two Naperville best friends killed at the Texas Astroworld Festival earlier this month have filed a wrongful death lawsuit earlier this month.

Jacob "Jake" Jurinek, 20, and Franco Patiño, 21 were among ten people killed during a crowd surge at Travis Scott's concert in Houston on November 5. Both played football for Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville.

"Parents shouldn't have to be worried that their children will be kicked, stepped on, trampled, and crushed to death at a concert," said Corboy & Demetrio Partner Philip Corboy, Jr., who is representing their families.

SEE ALSO | Best friends from Naperville among at least 8 killed at Travis Scott's Astroworld music festival

Jurinek was a junior at Southern Illinois University Carbondale where he was pursuing his passion for art and media, and worked as a graphic arts and media intern for the athletic department, his family said.

Patiño was a University of Dayton student, majoring in mechanical engineering technology with a minor in human movement biomechanics, according to the university.

While it remains unclear whether Scott or his promoters will face criminal charges, they are facing an onslaught of civil suits.

"It's horrible. Every parent's nightmare," Corboy said. "His birthday happened to have been on the day of his memorial service this past weekend."

Corboy said their deaths did not need to happen.

"It's the first time I've ever heard a performer tell the audience to do whatever they can to storm the barricades, push away security," Corboy said. "Try to get up on the stage with me, basically as part of the experience of Travis Scott."

Attorneys point to a history of similar behavior on the part of Travis Scott, including a 2015 incident at Lollapalooza when Scott was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after inciting fans to jump over the barriers and rush the stage.

The wrongful death suits list Travis Scott, Live Nation, and pretty much everyone else involved in the two-day music festival, saying: "Defendants, however, ignored cries for help and failed to stop the concert until over 40 minutes after city officials said the 'mass casualty event' had begun."

"We have video," Corboy said. "And I think all the lawyers involved in the case so far have video where it's actually being heard, loudly and clearly from a section near the stage it looks like, 'Stop the show. Stop the show.'"

So far, none of the defendants listed in the lawsuits have responded to ABC7's requests for comment.

Because of the sheer number of lawsuits filed connected to Astroworld, lawyers say it's likely they will all have to go through the system together. As of early Tuesday afternoon, 248 civil complaints listing Live Nation as a defendant have been filed in Harris County, Texas.