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First Wave Of Lawsuits Filed In Deadly SXSW Crash

AUSTIN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - The initial wave of victim lawsuits since four people died 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 once-obscure Austin festival have faced questions over how they have managed the event's transformation into an international extravaganza.

♦♦♦ More SXSW Deadly Crash Coverage ♦♦♦

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

Police say 21-year old Rashad Charjuan Owens plowed into a crowd of concertgoers, hitting seveal people and killing four. He remains incarcerated and his bail has swelled to over $5 million.

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.

Next year's festival begins March 17.

(© Copyright 2014 CBSDFW.com a division of CBS Local Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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