FIRST SXSW LAWSUITS FILED

  

The initial wave of victim lawsuits since four people were killed at the South by Southwest music festival, accuse organizers of safety lapses after a driver struck a crowd of concertgoers.

The lawsuits filed Thursday are the first since the March crash that also injured nearly two dozen people. Since the crash, organizers of the Austin festival have faced questions over how they have managed the event's transformation into an international extravaganza.

An aspiring rapper who police say drove his car through a street barricade remains jailed on capital murder charges.

Among those killed was a Dutch music executive riding a bike. His family says festival organizers skimped on traffic safeguards while packing people downtown to hear more than 2,000 bands.