A young woman sustained a severe injury during a gig at a popular venue after a band member leapt into the audience to crowd surf - but allegedly landed on her. Fans were relishing a performance at Mohawk Place on Tuesday when a member of Trophy Eyes leapt into the audience during the performance.
This crowd surfing attempt resulted in 24-year-old Bird Piche suffering a serious spinal cord injury. She has undergone major surgery but still faces a lengthy recovery. A member of the Australian punk rock band, Trophy Eyes, jumped into the crowd without consent mid-song, where the Buffalo woman happened to be standing.
Family friend Leo Wolters Tejera Tejera told 7 Abc Buffalo: "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."
It is understood Piche was conscious during the commute to the hospital and a member of the Trophy Eyes band even went with her in the ambulance. Now, the young woman is breathing on her own but doctors said her recovery will be slow.
The venue in in Downtown Buffalo, in New York state, has had a very strict "no crowd surfing policy" since 2011. The manager of the venue said that there are "signs posted everywhere in the venue and notice was included in the emails for this show with the show's promoter and the band themselves.".
A GoFundMe page has been set up by a family friend to support Bird Piche with her medical expenses. It has already raised over $34,000. A description on the page says: "Bird Piché suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury while attending a concert on April 30th and underwent an extensive surgery.
"She 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. She will obviously not be able to work during this time. Bird recently began running and in the featured photo she had placed second in her age group!
"We will update with details according to her comfort level. The funds will be used for medical bills and anything she may need to function in life because of the accident."
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The popular venue says they are also arranging a charity concert to help with her medical bills. The general manager Michael Thor released this statement to 7 News:.
"There are signs posted everywhere in the venue and notice was included in the emails for this show with the show's promoter and the band themselves. Our policy and practiced procedure is a full show stop for any stage diving which was put into place for this incident.Currently we are working to put together a charity show to help the injured party with their go fund me."
Trophy band also made a $5,000 donation to the fund. They addressed the tragic incident on their Instagram story on Friday, stating:.
"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.
"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.
"A gofundme has been set up by their family, you can donate below.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. We remain in close contact with them and will expand on this as new news arrives."
The GoFundMe can be found here.