Woman dies after being hit by 'art bus' at Burning Man

It’s been a somber day for burners visiting Black Rock City, after news broke that a woman died when she was struck by a bus carrying passengers on the third day of the annual Burning Man festival, according to event officials.

The victim was identified as 29-year-old Alicia Louise Cipicchio of Jackson, Wyoming. Burning Man officials said no additional information will be released until an investigation into the incident is completed.

Burning Man is notorious for attracting elaborate vehicles, or ‘art cars,’ that often carry more than three dozen people as they roam through the roads around the campsite.

A similar accident occurred in 2003 when 21-year-old Katherine Lampman was run over by an art car, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Lampman was a photographer and student at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco.

“This is a terrible accident,” Burning Man co-founder Marian Goodell wrote on the event’s official blog. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and campmates. Black Rock Rangers and Emergency Services Department staff are providing support to those affected.”

Close to 70,000 participants are expected to attend the annual festival this year.

For more on our Fusion dispatch team coverage, click here.

Ignacio Torres is a segment producer for “Alicia Menendez Tonight,” a California native, and a proud graduate of the University of California, Davis, and Columbia Journalism School.