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10/31/2024 07:58:24 pm

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Art Enthusiast Dies After Falling Under Bus at Burning Man Festival

The Burning Man

(Photo : Reuters) 2013

This year's Burning Man has seen yet another tragic incident after a 29-year-old woman was killed at Nevada's Black Rock Desert on Thursday.

Authorities identified the victim as 29-year-old Alicia Louise Cipicchio, a resident of Jackson, Wyoming. She was hit by an art car carrying festival goers around the playa at around midnight and died at the scene of the accident.

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According to event spokesperson Jim Graham, no other casualties were reported during the celebration.

After further probes were made, authorities found out that Cipicchio was a manager at the RARE Gallery of Fine Art in Jackson near Yellow Stone Park. She graduated with a degree in art from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro in 2008.

Those who knew her described her as a "sweet, loving, adventurous, and caring spirit" as well as an "awesome surfer."

A co-worker at the art gallery told USA Today that she was an "amazing girl, full of life, loved by everybody."

The event management and founding party expressed their deepest sympathies to the bereaved family of the victim and has confirmed that the Emergency Services Department is providing them with the necessary support.

Dubbed as the largest outdoor art festival on the continent, the event attracts an average of 50,000 people every year. This year, nearly 70,000 visitors attended the Burning Man.

The last accidental death reported at the event occurred in 2003 where an attendee fell under an art car which was serving as a parade float. The elaborate decorations and lightings on the art cars make them notoriously difficult to maneuver.

Earlier this week, Humboldt General Hospital CEO Jim Parrish stated that a minimum of two people have died at the Burning Man since 2011.

According to the event management, a 5-mile-per-hour speed limit is imposed at the Black Rock Desert during festivities.

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