A 24-year-old woman attending a recent concert in Buffalo was hospitalized with a severe spinal cord injury as a result of a band member jumping into the crowd, according to a friend of the woman.
During a show by the Australian band Trophy Eyes on April 30, the lead singer reportedly leaped into the crowd from the stage at Buffalo concert venue Mohawk Place, which has a capacity of 237 people.
Among those in the crowd was the 24-year-old woman, Bird Piché, who was seriously injured in the incident, Leo Wolters Tejera, a friend of the woman’s, told WGRZ-TV in a story published Thursday.
Multiple outlets reported that Piché was partially paralyzed in the accident.
Tejera said the incident occurred when Trophy Eyes’ singer “stage dove into the crowd, and there must just not have been enough people around there to catch him, or they weren’t aware that he was going to jump.”
NY concertgoer Bird Piché partially paralyzed after Trophy Eyes singer’s stage dive into crowd https://t.co/cqdIzRyJki pic.twitter.com/l4pcqt2cde
— New York Post (@nypost) May 11, 2024
He said fans near Piché thought she had fainted, but she remained on the floor not moving.
“She wasn’t getting up, and John, the singer, was was like right there with her,” Tejera said. “So yeah, they took her right to the hospital into emergency trauma surgery, and then she was admitted.”
Piché is breathing on her own and is able to use her arms to communicate by text, WGRZ reported Thursday, adding that she is in a regular hospital room and that the band’s lead singer went with her to the hospital.
John Floreani is Trophy Eyes’ lead singer.
According to a GoFundMe page set up for Piché, she “suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury while attending a concert on April 30th and underwent an extensive surgery.”
Piché “has a long recovery ahead and will need all the help she can get. It is still too early to know what her prognosis is but after leaving the hospital she will need to go to a rehab facility,” the page said.
“Her neck was definitely broken and as of today, she has feeling in her arms. She can use her fingers and hands and stuff. Her fine motor skills are a little rough, but the surgeon said that’s kind of normal from the surgery and anesthesia,” Tejera said, according to WKBW-TV on May 3.
He said the accident appeared to be a surprise.
“The problem with what happened at this moment was there was no implied consent. There was just a body falling down from the sky onto a person who didn’t know that was going to be happening,” Tejera said.
In a statement, the band said: “As the result of a tragic accident on the night of April 30th, a Trophy Eyes fan was injured at our Buffalo NY show. We elected to immediately shut down the show as John accompanied them to the hospital with their family.
https://t.co/mzqqCkgidR pic.twitter.com/vY9OPl6CcJ
— Trophy Eyes (@trophyeyesmusic) May 3, 2024
“Out of respect for the family, we have refrained from speaking about this publicly so far, but with the blessing of their family we are now able to say how truly heartbroken we are to be here now. Our friend, Bird, is now in recovery, but still has a long road ahead for them.
“This situation has shaken us all to our core, and we ask for patience while we look to help Bird navigate this difficult time. Please, keep Bird in your thoughts,” the statement said.
Mohawk Place said it has had a strict “no crowd surfing policy” since 2011, according to WKBW.
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This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.