Copeland Forbes could sue promoter after falling off stage

Faced with mounting medical bills which have already surpassed $1 million, veteran tour/artiste manager and author, Copeland Forbes, is contemplating legal action against the parties involved in One Blood Family Fest, following injuries which he received after falling off the stage at the June 3 event held at Plantation Cove in Ocho Rios, St Ann.

Forbes, who is currently in Florida undergoing medical treatment, told THE WEEKEND STAR that he is taking advice from his lawyers. He lamented the fact that the injuries have forced him to cancel a tour of Europe that was scheduled to take place one week after the incident. A former manager of reggae icon Peter Tosh, Forbes is hopeful that he will be sufficiently recovered to participate in the Peter Tosh Symposium in Jamaica in October.

"I've finally decided to take legal action against the promoter of the One Blood Fest, venue owner and company who provided the stage for the concert on June 3. Since the near-fatal incident, the promoter has never called me to find out about the progress of my injuries which occurred at his festival," said Forbes, who has been documenting his journey with pictures of himself at the event and subsequently in a wheelchair bound for Florida. THE WEEKEND STAR reached out to the promoters but they declined to go on record with a comment.

Forbes has also been keeping his followers updated on his health status via Facebook posts.

"The doctors said that for a 76-year-old man, it could have been much worse ... my rib was dislocated a fraction of an inch from my spine. X-rays on my injured lumbar spine showed slow healing which require me to continue wearing the back brace. Another X-ray showed two spots on my arm where the bone was damaged. They put a new cast on between my wrist and elbow on the right hand ... but there is still pain in the entire area. I'm going back to the radiology to do a MRI on my hand," said Forbes.

He showed a picture of a bill from a hospital for US$14,543.70 (approximately $2.2 million). He is waiting on the bills from four more medical institutions.

"I can guarantee the total is gonna be at least $25k or more," Forbes said.

He was in Jamaica for Reggae Sumfest in July, where he was promoting his book Reggae My Life Is and took off the cast to sign autographs. However, that only served to aggravate his condition. He is uncertain about the Tosh symposium and lamented cancelling tours "that I can't even reschedule as yet". He has several engagements lined up for 2024 as well.

Reflecting on the 10 weeks since his injury, Forbes said pain has been his constant companion.

"The first week I couldn't even step off the bed to go to the bathroom. It was a turmoil ... the painkillers made me constipated and my brother told me to boil some prune juice. I thank everybody who called me ... their concern and prayers helped me a lot. Also those who assisted me on the night ... I thank them," Forbes said.