Alexis S. was celebrating New Year’s Eve on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
The French Quarter was packed with tourists and locals ringing in the New Year.
The crowd was shoulder-to-shoulder, everyone on their phones capturing the celebration.
At approximately 3:15 AM, a pickup truck drove around police barriers and plowed into the crowd.
For fourteen seconds, the vehicle barreled through three blocks of Bourbon Street.
Alexis was struck by the vehicle.
In total, 14 people were killed and at least 57 injured.
The attacker had researched crowd density and balcony access points.
The FBI classified it as an act of terrorism.
Alexis survived and shared critical advice with her daughter: “You can still go out and have fun, but don’t be on your phone and always watch your surroundings.”
That one sentence contains the entire lesson of crowd safety.
So, here’s a deeper dive into how to stay safe at crowded events.
What is crowd safety?
Crowd safety is the practice of maintaining situational awareness, identifying hazards, and positioning yourself strategically when attending large gatherings.
It’s about understanding crowd dynamics, recognizing danger signs, and knowing how to respond when thousands of people occupy confined spaces.
Crowds create unique dangers: stampedes, crushes, targeted attacks, and rapid disaster spread.
The Bourbon Street attack demonstrated how quickly mass casualty events unfold and how little time you have to react.
Fourteen seconds was all that separated Bourbon Street from normalcy to catastrophe.
However, your survival depends on decisions made before those fourteen seconds begin.
Benefits of crowd safety awareness:
Early threat detection:
Awareness creates reaction time.
People absorbed in phones miss warning signs such as unusual behavior, unattended bags, vehicles in pedestrian zones, crowd compression, blocked exits.
The FBI noted that the Bourbon Street attacker drove around barriers that should have stopped vehicles.
Someone watching instead of filming might have noticed and moved away from the street.
Better positioning in crowds:
Position matters in crowds.
Crowd safety training teaches you to avoid danger zones: against barriers, near vehicle access points, in corners, at chokepoints like single-exit areas.
People standing on sidewalks closer to buildings had better survival odds.
Faster emergency response:
People who know crowd emergency response can help others while waiting for overwhelmed first responders.
The Bourbon Street attack injured 57 people in 14 seconds.
Ambulances couldn’t reach everyone instantly.
Bystanders with basic first aid knowledge saved lives.
Drawbacks:
Hypervigilance creates anxiety:
Constantly scanning for threats at concerts, festivals, and sporting events can ruin the experience.
Some people develop such heightened awareness that they can’t relax at public events.
They spend the entire time calculating exit routes instead of enjoying the event.
Balance is difficult to achieve for some folks.
Reduced enjoyment:
The Bourbon Street victims were celebrating New Year’s.
They were having fun, taking pictures, enjoying the moment.
That’s what public gatherings are for.
Constant threat assessment diminishes spontaneous joy.
There’s a cost to always being on guard.
Here’s how to stay safe at crowded events:
Priority 1: Pre-Event planning
Before attending any large gathering, research the venue layout.
Identify all exits, not just the main entrance.
Check if the venue has vehicle barriers, security checkpoints, and crowd control measures.
Knowing this, prepared individuals might have positioned themselves away from vehicle access points.
Priority 2: Situational awareness while present
Put your phone away and watch your surroundings.
Note unusual behavior, unattended items, crowd compression, aggressive individuals, or anything that feels wrong.
Trust your instincts… if something feels dangerous, leave.
Priority 3: Strategic positioning
Stay away from barriers, walls, and corners where crowd pressure can crush you.
Avoid chokepoints where crowds funnel through narrow spaces.
Position yourself with clear paths to multiple exits.
Stand near the edges of crowds rather than the dense center.
Keep your back to walls when possible so you can see approaching threats.
Priority 4: Exit strategy and discipline
When danger appears, move immediately toward your pre-identified exit.
Don’t stop to film or retrieve belongings.
If you fall, curl into a ball protecting your head and chest.
Once safe, call 911 and stay away until cleared by authorities.
The Bourbon Street survivors who moved fastest had the best outcomes.
The people filming missed the warning signs.
The people watching saw danger coming.
Crowded events will always carry risk.
Always be ready to protect yourself and your family (whether at home or in a crowd) with the proper training and gear.
