BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Nine-year-old Rhyhiem Ainsworth of California died Saturday after being taken off life support and joining the growing list of victims of the 2017 Astroworld Festival.
Rhyhiem was one of three children hospitalized after the one-day festival in Houston last year, WFAA-TV in Dallas reported.
His mother asked the public not to believe the reports about her son. She told WFAA that her son’s injuries were caused by a boy putting his bare hand over his face.
Rhyhiem suffered a traumatic brain injury and a rib fracture, making it extremely difficult for him to breathe and for doctors to repair the rib.
“This tragedy could have been avoided if they did not have their earmuffs on when he was struck,” Rhyhiem’s mother, Lauren Ainsworth, wrote on a GoFundMe page.
The Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute previously blamed hypothermia and dehydration as the cause of Rhyhiem’s death.
“Research from the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute found that while the Astroworld Festival is known for its so-called music acts, in truth the event has little effect on limiting adverse health impacts on attendees,” Dr. W. Louis Sinnott III, associate chair of the Department of Biostatistics, told WFAA.
In addition to Rhyhiem, the other two victims were 8-year-old Maverick Davis of Texas and 1-year-old Lil’ John Nallariphy of Louisiana.
“I was so excited to go to the festival, but we ended up getting two of them sick,” Rhyhiem’s cousin, Eleymon Davis told WFAA.
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