1,524 people were hurt at Burning Man last year. Some say it's part of the fun.

"Last year, Rachael Gingery left Burning Man in the back of an ambulance with a broken back, broken ribs, a bruised spleen and a punctured lung. It was the kind of brutal experience that might make you think she'd never return to the nine-day-long art and music event in the Nevada desert. Yet this August, Gingery was busy getting ready to return for her ninth Burn."

"Dehydration and exposure are a constant risk in the desert environment, and attendees are required to be entirely self-sufficient with their own water, shelter and food. Drinking and drug use are common. The event grounds, called the playa, are covered in bizarre and beautiful pieces of art, and mutant vehicles that have been transformed into outlandish shapes, like yachts with dancefloors or tentacled monsters spewing fire, roam around the desert at all hours of the night."

"Gingery is one of the 1,524 people injured at Burning Man last year according to data shared with SFGATE by the nonprofit that runs the festival. The organization said there was a single death in 2024, as well as one in 2023. Thousands of people were seen by medical staff in 2023 and 2022, according to the event's annual reports."

Burning Man draws more than 70,000 attendees and presents substantial physical risks, including dehydration, exposure, and injuries from art installations and vehicles. Attendees must be self-sufficient with water, shelter, and food. Drinking and drug use are common on the playa. Thousands of people have required medical attention in recent years, and there were single deaths reported in both 2023 and 2024. Art cars and climbable artworks have caused fatal and nonfatal accidents in the past. Despite severe injuries suffered by some participants, many return to the event because the risk and spectacle contribute to its appeal.

Read at SFGATE