Hillsborough Football Stadium Research Articles

Narrative Retellings: Stylistic Approaches

Narrative Retellings: Stylistic Approaches

Flood–pedestrian simulator for modelling human response dynamics during flood-induced evacuation: Hillsborough stadium case study

Abstract. The flood–pedestrian simulator uses a parallel approach to couple a hydrodynamic model to a pedestrian model in a single agent-based modelling (ABM) framework on graphics processing units (GPU), allowing dynamic exchange and processing of multiple-agent information across the two models. The simulator is enhanced with more realistic human body characteristics and in-model behavioural rules. The new features are implemented in the pedestrian model to factor in age- and gender-related walking speeds for the pedestrians in dry zones around the floodwater and to include a maximum excitement condition. It is also adapted to use age-related moving speeds for pedestrians inside the floodwater, with either a walking condition or a running condition. The walking and running conditions are applicable without and with an existing two-way interaction condition that considers the effects of pedestrian congestion on the floodwater spreading. A new autonomous change of direction condition is proposed to make pedestrian agents autonomous in wayfinding decisions driven by their individual perceptions of the flood risk or the dominant choice made by the others. The relevance of the newly added characteristics and rules is demonstrated by applying the augmented simulator to reproduce a synthetic test case of a flood evacuation in a shopping centre, to then contrast its outcomes against the version of the simulator that does not consider age and gender in the agent characteristics. The enhanced simulator is demonstrated for a real-world case study of a mass evacuation from the Hillsborough football stadium, showing usefulness for flood emergency evacuation planning in outdoor spaces where destination choice and individual risk perception have great influence on the simulation outcomes.

Worlds of evidence

Abstract The Hillsborough football stadium disaster (1989) in Sheffield, UK, led to the deaths of 97 football fans and resulted in the longest jury case in British legal history (2016). This article examines the witness statements of two Sheffield residents who claim to have attended the match. Using a mixed-methods approach that incorporates a cognitive linguistic framework (Text World Theory) with visualisation software (VUE) we consider both form and function of a number of linguistic features, such as meta-narrative, evaluative lexis, syntax, and modality to investigate how institutional voices permeate and potentially distort layperson narratives. Our analysis casts doubt on the veracity of the statements and raises questions about what can be considered evidential in a forensic investigation.

‘No ordinary crowd’: Foregrounding a ‘hooligan schema’ in the construction of witness narratives following the Hillsborough football stadium disaster

This article examines the linguistic appropriation and deflection of blame in the witness testimonies and evidence-gathering processes of the South Yorkshire Police (SYP) following the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster. It specifically focuses on patterns of stylistic features, such as negation and syntactic foregrounding, which, it is argued, function to encode alternative institutionally congruent stories. It employs schema theory to explore how a ‘hooligan’ narrative was readily invoked and accepted by the SYP. Moreover, it addresses instances of both self-incrimination and the upgrading of police efficacy within statements produced by the South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service (SYMAS), and offers a linguistic analysis that points to police involvement in the construction of the SYMAS testimonies.

Demonisation as explanation? A systems theory-informed analysis of the origins of, and reaction to the 1946 Burnden Park and 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disasters

This paper argues that disasters and disaster accounts originate in systems of practice and belief. It suggests that to assert control and defend their interests, authorities may demonise the victims of disaster. The paper demonstrates how systems thinking, specifically the application of actor-network theory, explains the organisation and resourcing of accounts that blame victims. It shows how, by 'bending space around themselves', texts and claims, appropriately amplified and reproduced, can quickly and enduringly shape perceptions and responses. Analysis of the narratives that held sway in the immediate aftermath of Burnden and Hillsborough suggests that, at least in regard to football disasters and with reference to the work of Goldman, Horlick-Jones and Cook, victim-blaming may be an enduring feature of the social landscape.

Real-time crowd density mapping using a novel sensory fusion model of infrared and visual systems

Crowd dynamic management research has seen significant attention in recent years in research and industry in an attempt to improve safety level and management of large scale events and in large public places such as stadiums, theatres, railway stations, subways and other places where high flow of people at high densities is expected. Failure to detect the crowd behaviour at the right time could lead to unnecessary injuries and fatalities. Over the past decades there have been many incidents of crowd which caused major injuries and fatalities and lead to physical damages. Examples of crowd disasters occurred in past decades include the tragedy of Hillsborough football stadium at Sheffield where at least 93 football supporters have been killed and 400 injured in 1989 in Britain’s worst-ever sporting disaster (BBC, 1989). Recently in Cambodia a pedestrians stampede during the Water Festival celebration resulted in 345 deaths and 400 injuries (BBC, 2010) and in 2011 at least 16 people were killed and 50 others were injured in a stampede in the northern Indian town of Haridwar (BBC, 2011). Such disasters could be avoided or losses reduced by using different technologies. Crowd simulation models have been found effective in the prediction of potential crowd hazards in critical situations and thus help in reducing fatalities. However, there is a need to combine the advancement in simulation with real time crowd characterisation such as the estimation of real time density in order to provide accurate prognosis in crowd behaviour and enhance crowd management and safety, particularly in mega event such as the Hajj. This paper addresses the use of novel sensory technology in order to estimate people’s dynamic density during one of the Hajj activities. The ultimate goal is that real time accurate estimation of density in different areas within the crowd could help to improve the decision making process and provide more accurate prediction of the crowd dynamics. This paper investigates the use of infrared and visual cameras supported by auxiliary sensors and artificial intelligence to evaluate the accuracy in estimating crowd density in an open space during Muslims Pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca).

Crowd disasters: a socio-technical systems perspective

We present a socio-technical systems framework and underlying principles to help understand a sample of crowd-related disasters. Our approach is founded on the premise that disasters result from complex systems failures, wherein a series of interdependent factors combine in such a way as to cause problems. We explore the explanatory power of our approach by analysing three incidents; Hillsborough football stadium disaster (1989), King's Cross underground fire (1987), and Bradford City stadium fire (1985). We find a common set of fundamental, interrelated issues and consistent violations of our socio-technical design principles. We conclude by discussing how our framework, principles and socio-technical thinking more generally, may contribute to theory and practice.

Morality, rights and the black letter law: judicial responsibilities in context

This article explores various aspects of morality, rights and the law, in relation to the Hillsborough Football Stadium Disaster of 15 April 1989, including the legal repercussions of this disaster – the public inquiry; the Taylor Report; compensation claims against the police; inquest proceedings; judicial review challenge; private prosecution; ECHR challenge; and the House of Lords decisions on the rules for compensation for nervous shock. Moreover it focuses on other cases lying at the intersection of law and morality, such as the death of a patient who suffered catastrophic and irreversible brain damage and the withdrawal of medical treatment with judicial approval. Another case considered in this article is that of the conjoined twins and the tragic dilemma of ‘which one to die?’

Permanent vegetative state: comparing the law and ethics of two tragic cases from Italy and England.

In April 1989, in England, Tony Bland aged 17 was trampled and crushed by a stampede at the Hillsborough football stadium ground – a disaster in which 95 people were killed. His lungs were crushed and punctured and the supply of oxygen to his brain was temporarily interrupted. Nearly three years later, in January 1992, in Italy, Eluana Englaro aged 21 lost control of her father's car whilst driving at night on an icy road and crashed into a lamp post, fracturing her skull and neck. When these young people were admitted to hospital, both of them were found to have suffered devastating anoxic brain damage and both were later diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state. Their illness narratives have several commonalities, but they also diverge in significant ways. In this article we shall be exploring the views of the relatives, the public, and the health professionals, how their voices were heard, and how the values underpinning these differing accounts were interpreted by the courts of law. We shall critically evaluate the ethical and legal justifications for the final decision to allow these unfortunate young people to die from the withdrawal of nutrition and hydration. We shall also consider the influence and interventions of the Church and the State in these two countries and how the law in England and in Italy resolved the moral and legal issues. From this analysis we shall reflect on what would appear to be the most humane and reasonable way forward.

The Phenomenology of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

This study analyses and categorises the subjective experiences and psychological symptoms of those involved in a major disaster but not themselves physically injured. It examines the concept of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and relates it to other psychiatric diagnoses and also to the particular nature of the disaster. 70 police officers are the subjects of this study, 59 men and 11 women, all of them involved in the Hillsborough Football Stadium Disaster. Assessment included detailed psychiatric history and examination with an account of the events experienced by the informants and their psychological reaction to this at the time and subsequently. Psychiatric diagnosis was made and quantified measurements were also recorded, including a rating scale for the criteria of PTSD, the General Health Questionnaire and rating scales for depression and anxiety. Severity of PTSD symptoms was associated with higher scores on rating scales for both depressive and anxiety symptomatology. Subjective depressive symptoms and depersonalisation were associated with severity of PTSD. Frustrated helplessness was a recurring theme in the psychopathology. Alcohol consumption of those who were already drinkers increased. Social functioning at work and in marriage deteriorated with increased severity of PTSD. Although PTSD has features that distinguish it from other conditions, the degree of distress and long-term disability is more related to depressive symptomatology than to the severity of PTSD itself.

Understanding and planning for different spectator crowds: A. E. Berlonghi, Safety Science, 18(4), 239–247

Crowd dynamic management research has seen significant attention in recent years in research and industry in an attempt to improve safety level and management of large scale events and in large public places such as stadiums, theatres, railway stations, subways and other places where high flow of people at high densities is expected. Failure to detect the crowd behaviour at the right time could lead to unnecessary injuries and fatalities. Over the past decades there have been many incidents of crowd which caused major injuries and fatalities and lead to physical damages. Examples of crowd disasters occurred in past decades include the tragedy of Hillsborough football stadium at Sheffield where at least 93 football supporters have been killed and 400 injured in 1989 in Britain’s worst-ever sporting disaster (BBC, 1989). Recently in Cambodia a pedestrians stampede during the Water Festival celebration resulted in 345 deaths and 400 injuries (BBC, 2010) and in 2011 at least 16 people were killed and 50 others were injured in a stampede in the northern Indian town of Haridwar (BBC, 2011). Such disasters could be avoided or losses reduced by using different technologies. Crowd simulation models have been found effective in the prediction of potential crowd hazards in critical situations and thus help in reducing fatalities. However, there is a need to combine the advancement in simulation with real time crowd characterisation such as the estimation of real time density in order to provide accurate prognosis in crowd behaviour and enhance crowd management and safety, particularly in mega event such as the Hajj. This paper addresses the use of novel sensory technology in order to estimate people’s dynamic density during one of the Hajj activities. The ultimate goal is that real time accurate estimation of density in different areas within the crowd could help to improve the decision making process and provide more accurate prediction of the crowd dynamics. This paper investigates the use of infrared and visual cameras supported by auxiliary sensors and artificial intelligence to evaluate the accuracy in estimating crowd density in an open space during Muslims Pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca).

Withdrawing artificial feeding from children with brain damage

Over the past few decades the American legal system has repeatedly confronted the legal dilemmas of stopping treatment for patients in a persistent vegetative state. From 1975 to 1990, 33 cases reached the higher courts. At least half of these concerned the withdrawal of artificial feeding. The British legal system has also had to address the same questions—first in the case of Tony Bland, crushed at Hillsborough football stadium, and now more recently in the case of Thomas Creedon, a 22 month old child who is said to be severely brain damaged and unable to hear, speak, or see.1 As legal systems are increasingly confronted with these cases, it is important to consider the basic medical, ethical, and legal principles that have unfolded over recent years. The most critical factor from a medical perspective is when the persistent vegetative state (lasting longer than one month but potentially reversible) becomes permanent (irreversible). Recent American standards developed by the Persistent Vegetative State Taskforce discuss a range of 3-12 months, depending on the aetiology of the condition and the age of the patient.2 3 European authorities such as …

Psychological distress in the local hillsborough or ‘host’ community following the Hillsborough football stadium diaster

AbstractThis paper describes levels of psychological distress and accounts of disaster among the local host community following the Hillsborough Football Stadium disaster. Thirty‐two participants were interviewed 4–6 months after the event. Rates of psychological distress symptoms were high in the sample as measured by PTSD (DSM III criteria), Impact of Events Scale (IES) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐28). The study also explores the relationships between levels of exposure, levels of distress and participants' accounts of the disaster. Implications for community outreach projects after disasters are discussed.

Guidelines are set for persistent vegetative state

The official solicitor, Peter Harris, has issued guidance for health authorities and NHS trusts in Britain, reminding them to seek the High Court's approval before withdrawing artificial feeding and hydration from patients in a persistent vegetative state. His practice note, issued last week, follows the second case in which the court has sanctioned the withdrawal of feeding for patients in the persistent vegetative state. The celebrated case of Tony Bland, the survivor of the Hillsborough football stadium disaster, went to the House of Lords last year and established that such patients need not be kept alive indefinitely. In …

Identifying the Cultural Causes of Disasters: An Analysis of the Hillsborough Football Stadium Disaster

This essay seeks to help stimulate greater effectiveness in dealing with disasters as a problem area. The concern is with those disasters which, arguably, are created by organizations themselves. The essay proceeds, first, by suggesting that many of the deep‐seated beliefs which prevail in the UK over the nature of organizations and their management are based on a view of reality which is not in accord with the reality of disaster situations. Thus, it is suggested, organization culture, generally in the UK, is founded on beliefs which are inappropriate for dealing with the disaster phenomenon and which are likely to actually promote ‘organizationally‐induced’ disasters.

The Hillsborough football stadium disaster: a single case study

AbstractExpectations for service provision following a disaster are understandably high but difficult to meet. This report considers the case of a patient with pre-morbid anxiety traits and asthma who suffered organic brain damage as a consequence of the Hillsborough Football Stadium disaster, whose care was reactive rather than proactive and resulted in his compulsory admission to a psychiatric hospital. Aftercare arrangements need to be anticipated in advance and should involve early psychiatric assessment of at-risk patients. Medical control of case management following disasters needs further clarification.

Managing Psychological Trauma in the Police Service: from the Bradford Fire to the Hillsborough Crush Disaster

Particularly since the Bradford football stadium fire of May 1985, the UK Police Service has been developing increasingly sophisticated procedures for managing post-traumatic stress reactions in its officers. Coupled with the growth of dedicated occupational health units within the Police Service, this suggests that physicians working within police forces will have an increasingly important role to play in the management of such problems. A brief account is given of the confidential screening and counselling service for police officers that was instituted after the Bradford fire, and a corresponding description is given of the more elaborate procedures implemented after the Hillsborough football stadium crush disaster of April 1989. In conclusion, the possible scope for preventive management of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highlighted.