Woman crushed by crowd surfer sues Riot Fest

A woman is suing the organizers of Riot Fest, claiming she broke her ankle when a crowd surfer landed on her during a show last summer at the West Side rock festival.

Nina Zurawel was about 250 feet away from the stage while watching the group Brand New perform Sept. 17 in Douglas Park, when a “large male fan” began being passed around above the concertgoers nearby, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court.

The crowd around the surfer started chanting “Drop him,” so Zurawel tried to get way, but she “was unable to extricate herself fast enough” from the throng, the suit says.

The fan came down on her leg, fracturing her ankle, the suit says.

Riot Fest and its founder Michael Petryshyn are listed as defendants along with their concert promoter and security contractor. Representatives did not immediately return messages seeking comment Wednesday evening.

The four-count negligence suit claims crowd control at the festival was inadequate, and that security should have stopped the crowd surfing. Zurawel is seeking more than $200,000.