Bird Piché, a 24-year-old concertgoer, sustained a severe crowd injury during a TROPHY EYES concert on April 30th at Mohawk Place in Buffalo, NY. The incident occurred when TROPHY EYES‘ vocalist, John Floreani, leaped backward from the stage into the crowd, landing on Piché and several others.
The impact left Piché with a traumatic spinal cord injury, causing partial paralysis and requiring an extensive recovery process. Shortly after the incident, Piché‘s mother informed local news outlet WKBW that her daughter had suffered a broken neck as a result of Floreani‘s stage dive.
Following the incident, a crowdfunding campaign raised over $88,000 for Piché. Among the contributors were TROPHY EYES, who donated $5,000, and Mohawk Place, who donated $500.
According to WGRZ, Piché is suing Mohawk Place, the promoter After Dark Entertainment, and Floriani over the incident. Piché claims that negligence on the part of all defendants led to the injury, alleging a failure to address “unsafe and/or dangerous conditions.”
On May 3rd, a few days after the Buffalo concert incident, TROPHY EYES released 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… [donate]
“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.
“Yours faithfully, TROPHY EYES“
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