Bird Piché, a 24-year-old concertgoer, was left partially paralyzed after attending a concert in Buffalo, New York.
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On April 30, while attending a performance by the Australian band Trophy Eyes at Mohawk Place, Piché suffered a spinal cord injury when a band member dived into the crowd. A relative set up a GoFundMe page to support Pichè’s recovery, stating she underwent extensive surgery and has a long recovery ahead.The venue’s policy strictly states that stage diving and crowd surfing is prohibited at all times. “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 representative explained to PEOPLE.
“Our policy and practiced procedure is a full show stop for any stage diving, which was put into place for this incident,” they continued. Stephanie Brown, a family friend, explained that Pichè regained sensation in her fingers but her neck was broken.
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Leo Wolters Tejera, who attended the concert, explained what he saw to WKBW earlier this month. “You can tell immediately, once the singer hit the crowd, the video cuts off. It was immediate, we knew something was wrong,” he said. Tejera added that Piché’s neck was broken, but she had some movement in her arms and could use her fingers.
On May 3, Trophy Eyes released a statement, expressing their concern and heartbreak over the incident:
“As a 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.”
The band members also directed Pichè’s GoFundMe page to fans and asked for thoughts along with support for her family.
As of now, $65,326 has been raised of the $100,000 goal on Piché’s GoFundMe page.