Concert Stage Dive Leaves Woman in Crowd Paralyzed with 'Catastrophic' Spinal Injury: Reports
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here, with an update, in case you missed it.
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 an April 30 show by the Australian band Trophy Eyes, the lead singer reportedly leaped into the crowd from the stage at the Buffalo club Mohawk Place, which has a capacity of 237.
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 report published May 9.
Multiple outlets reported that Piché was partially paralyzed in the accident.
Tejera said the incident occurred when Trophy Eyes’ singer John Floreani “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 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.”
Update: According to a May 13 report by NBC, Piché has regained the use of her arms and some functions in her legs, but “not full use of her fingers and toes.”
“When you hear about these types of injuries, they’re obviously very serious, so I didn’t expect to have any recovery,” Piché told NBC from her hospital room.
She told NBC she’s been a fan of the band since 2016. The onstage behavior might not have been entirely unexpected, she said, but a serious injury was far more than she bargained for.
“It’s pretty typical at these kinds of shows,” she said. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I definitely didn’t expect to be in a hospital after the concert.
“I have a long road ahead, but I’m very optimistic right now.”
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.
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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