Man dies after falling two stories at Chicago-area music festival

A 29-year-old man died Friday night after he fell two stories Friday during the opening night of the three-day Chicago Open Air Festival, according to multiple reports.

Robert Smucz, of Chicago, was pronounced dead less than an hour after medics took him to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office told the Chicago Sun-Times. He fell from a railing to the pavement around 10 p.m. Friday, the newspaper reported.

The Medical Examiner's Office determined Smucz died of "multiple injuries in an accidental fall," according to the Chicago Tribune.

In a Facebook post Saturday, Smucz's girlfriend, Alicia Morales, described him as "one of the nicest people I had ever met and such an incredible person.

"He always wanted everyone around him to be happy," she wrote. "Everyone who met him loved him. … He spent his last day doing what he liked the most -- hanging out with his best friend, my brother, and his girlfriend. He was so happy!"

Family and friends, yesterday I lost the love of my life in an accident. Rob was not only my boyfriend and lover, but my...

Posted by Atleast Moreorless on Saturday, July 16, 2016

Smucz is survived by his mother, Eugenia; his sister, Monica Hendrickson; his aunt, Laura Golder; and four cousins, according to an obituary posted by Colonial-Wojciechowski Funeral Homes.

Chicago Open Air is a three-day music festival held at Toyota Park in Bridgeview. It is focused on music, craft beer and "gourmet man food," according to organizers.

The festival ended Sunday.

About the Author