Austin-Travis County EMS Map Of Medical Calls Illustrates SXSW-Fueled Injuries

AUSTIN, TX -- SXSW is loads of fun, until someone gets hurt.

A newly created interactive map by Austin-Travis County EMS officials dramatically illustrates the likelihood of injuries amid the crush of humanity descending to the downtown region -- the focal point of many of the festival’s musical offerings..

On March 17 alone, EMS officials said they responded to 107 incidents. St. Patrick’s Day -- another day marked by revelry -- coinciding with the festival schedule, likely helping to bolster EMS calls.

The timing of Spring Break the same week as SXSW also helped bolster EMS calls.

The world-renowned festival features a dizzying array of interactive, film and music offerings to a global audience. At least 80,000 people have attended this year’s version, according to media reports.

But attendant to the revelry are throngs of people descending to the downtown sector -- a staging area that some say has outgrown the ever-increasing crowds since SXSW was founded in a decidedly smaller scale 30 years ago.

Mix alcohol, youthful exuberance and motorists trying to negotiate around closed streets into the mix, and it’s inevitable accidents will happen; inevitable EMS will be called.

The map created by Austin-Travis County EMS puts the work they do largely behind the scenes in greater perspective. Media outlets (Patch included) rely on a constant Twitter feed from local EMS officials, alerting to the various incidents to which they respond.

But the tweets are gathered piecemeal as reporters pick and choose the most salient accident accounts, and it’s sometimes hard to grasp just how busy medical first responders are throughout the year -- let alone during SXSW.

The map illustrates their work in dramatic fashion, yielding a 24-hour snapshot of activity on peak SXSW days. The area of focus: Downtown, grown zero of the mayhem.

On each of the three days tallied, incidents increased incrementally. On March 15 there were 62 incidents, by March 16 another 64. By Thursday -- typically a favorite day to party among the young -- incidents grew by 43 from the previous day to reach the level of 107 incidents.

Incidents vary in severity -- from minor scrapes to life-threatening injuries. An EMS official tells Patch he'll be updating the tally of medical calls later this afternoon.

Thankfully, there hasn’t been an accident like the one that occurred at SXSW 2014, when a young man sped off in his car in the midst of crowds along Red River Street downtown -- leaving four dead and 25 injured. The driver crashed through barricades that had been set up, driving in the wrong direction down a one-way street.

The scene was horrific, with the injured and dead strewn across city streets. This January, Rashad Owens, 23, was found guilty of capital murder and is now serving a life sentence for the trail of death he left behind.

Today marks the penultimate day for this year's SXSW, and across the city fingers are crossed, votive candles lit, prayers recited and positive vibes transmitted in the hopes such tragedy doesn't revisit the festival before it packs up for another year.

For some, a pall still hangs in the air following that tragic event two years later. For some, deciding whether or not to attend SXSW has become a serious consideration to mull over as a result.

Austin-Travis County EMS officials have no choice in that matter. In the thick of the unpredictability and chaos of SXSW, there is one certainty as sure as the north star: EMS will be there.

To see the Austin-Travis County EMS incidents map, click here.

>>> Photos by Tony Cantu