Singer’s Stage Dive Leads to Severe Spinal Injuries for Fan

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Singer's Stage Dive Leads to Severe Spinal Injuries for Fan

A 24-year-old concertgoer by the name of Bird Piché suffered “catastrophic spinal injuries” after Trophy Eyes singer John Floreani dove into the crowd during the Australian punk band’s show at Mohawk Place in Buffalo, New York, on Tuesday (April 30th).

Piché needed emergency surgery following the incident, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help with “medical bills and anything [Piché] may need to function in life because of the accident.” As of this posting, more than $40,000 has been raised toward a $100,000 goal.

The band has expressed remorse and empathy for the incident, donating $5,000 to the GoFundMe campaign and issuing the following statement:

“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. We remain in close contact with them and will expand on this as new news arrives.”

Mike Thor, the manager of Mohawk Place, insisted in a statement that the venue has rules in place to prevent moshing and stage diving. “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,” remarked Thor. “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 GoFundMe.”

Footage of the stage dive has been posted on Reddit. As for Trophy Eyes, they’ve continued on with their US tour, which runs through a June 1st show in Baltimore.

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