Woman Dies at Burning Man

Bikers on the playa at Black Rock Desert in Nevada ride toward the yet-to-be-burned "Man" structure. (Associated Press)

It's been a difficult start to Burning Man, which takes place in the Nevada desert near Gerlach. First, torrential rain and mud slowed entrance to the site, then this morning a woman was struck and killed by a bus. The woman has been identified as 29-year-old Alicia Cipicchio from Jackson, Wyoming. she was run over by the "Shagadelica" bus.

This continues the year's frightening trend of deaths at festivals:

• Earlier this month, three people died at the Veld Music Festival in Toronto.
• In July, a fan was found dead in his tent at the Pemberton Music Festival in British Columbia.
• Also in July, a burner at Element 11 in Utah ran into a massive effigy bonfire and died.
• In June,  three deaths were connected to Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas.s

Steve Bloom

Steve Bloom

Publisher of CelebStoner.com, former editor of High Times and Freedom Leaf and co-author of Pot Culture and Reefer Movie Madness.