Dancer’s accident in Andrés Carne de Res was not attended to promptly, according to a friend of the victim

Dancer Laura Daniela Villamil is in critical condition – credit @lauradvillamilactriz/Instagram

On Saturday, August 17, dancer Laura Daniela Villamil was seriously injured during a performance at the renowned Andrés Carne de Res restaurant, located in Chía (Cundinamarca). The young artist, who was wearing a feather and straw dress at the time, ended up engulfed in the flames of a torch she was carrying for the performance. Now, her health condition is critical.

The incident led actor Johan Velandia, who is the director of the theatre company ‘La Congregación Teatro’, to speak out. In conversation with El Tiempo, he reported that he is a friend of the young woman and expressed his solidarity with her family. He also strongly questioned the restaurant for the way in which the situation was handled. Allegedly, there was negligence.

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“What the restaurant did was to make the group continue working,” said the actor, referring to the moment when the dancer was caught in the flames. According to him, this was said by several people, including the victim’s brother and some employees of Andrés Carne de Res.

Andrés Carne de Res Restaurant assured that “from the first moment” of the accident with the dancer, all care protocols were activated – credit Tripadvisor

“Laura is now practically struggling between life and death. She worked for five years and what we see from Andrés Carné Res is a statement saying that action was taken with all speed, but there are diners who say the opposite,” added Velando, casting doubt on the restaurant’s statement on the matter.

The text in question states that “from the first moment”, the restaurant activated all the security and care protocols designed for this type of emergency. In fact, it specifies that the rapid response allowed the young woman to be quickly transferred to a health center to receive urgent care.

“The company’s management has been present at the hospital, accompanying the employee’s family, monitoring her medical progress, and reiterating their commitment to support her,” the restaurant added.

Dancer Laura Villamil is a professional graduate of the Universidad Distrital de la Facultad de Artes Asab – credit @lauradvillamilactriz/Instagram

However, the actor regretted the events and the alleged negligence of the establishment, highlighting that this case could reveal possible situations of workplace abuse that artists face in places like the restaurant.

“Laura is an incredible artist. She is a professional graduate of the Universidad Distrital de la Facultad de Artes Asab. She is disciplined, rigorous, committed and a deep lover of theater. That is why, as a guild, as colleagues, as companions, as friends, we stand in solidarity with the situation that her family is now experiencing,” the artist told the aforementioned news outlet.

In light of these events, the Minister of Labor, Gloria Inés Ramírez, reported that an inspection visit will be carried out at Andrés Carne de Res to investigate what happened. She also indicated that they will also contact the victim to determine if the restaurant has any responsibility for the way the emergency was handled.

“The first thing is to care for the victim and, once she leaves intensive care, the Ministry of Labor will enter to talk to her to find out under what conditions the incident occurred, while the respective investigation is carried out at the workplace,” the official clarified.

The Minister of Labor, Gloria Inés Ramírez, announced that a group of labor inspectors is investigating the events that occurred with the young dancer Laura Villamil Leguizamón, who suffered serious burns during a show at Andrés Carne de Res – credit X

The case has generated criticism and brought to light previous complaints that would indicate the establishment’s lack of diligence and compliance with safety protocols for the performance of shows such as the one performed by the dancer. This was detailed by Congresswoman María Fernanda Carrascal.

“The case of Laura Villamil is not an isolated “accident.” Workers and former workers of Andrés Carné de Res have been saying for years that this place does not have the conditions, protocols or personnel to carry out work like the one Laura did. We ask the @MinTrabajoCol to provide its inspection, surveillance and control team to review the particular case and the general conditions of the workers of this company,” said the congresswoman in X.

María Fernanda Carrascal said that the case of the dancer Laura Villamil is not an isolated “accident” – credit @MafeCarrascal/X