A music fan has captured the bizarre moment he shared with paramedics who rushed to his aid after he broke his leg at a festival.
Jake Daenell, 27, suffered a broken femur on Saturday when he was injured in a heaving crowd at heavy metal festival Knotfest in Sydney’s Centennial Park.
Mr. Daenell, from Wagga Wagga, shared a video on TikTok showing the moment he was being attended to by paramedics as he continued to rock to the music.
In the short clip, Mr. Daenell can be seen lying on the ground as paramedics treat him after he is crushed into a “wall of death” by a mob.
A paramedic appeared to be amused by Mr. Daenell’s cheerful demeanor
The Wall of Death is a mosh pit of sorts where the audience splits down the middle before the two sides run over and slam each other as they meet.
At the beginning of the clip, Mr. Daenell can be seen wincing in pain, but still shaking his head and singing along to a raucous tune.
Paramedics can be seen holding his leg and attaching intravenous equipment to help treat his injury.
One of the paramedics seems amused by Mr. Daenell’s cheerful demeanor, smiling and subtly nodding her head to the music.
Mr Daenell told Daily Mail Australia he had suffered a spiral fracture to the femur in his left leg and had been taken to St Vincent’s Hospital.
Mr. Daenell in hospital before having surgery on his broken femur
“I had a metal rod inserted to screw the bone back into place,” he said.
He had surgery on Saturday evening for the injury and will require physical therapy to be able to walk properly again.
Mr. Daenell said he had never been involved with a wall of death and that Knotfest was the first musical event he had attended in ages.
He said his favorite band, Bad Omens, was playing at the time and he wanted to “make the most of it.”
He said it was “terrifying” to be thrown to the ground and “buried by a pile of bodies.”
Footage shows the crowd shortly before Mr. Daenell was thrown to the ground and crushed by patrons.
Mr. Daenell remained in good spirits despite breaking his femur after being crushed by a mob
Mr Daenell said he was grateful to fellow festival-goer Blake Hemphill who carried him through the crowd after noticing his injured leg.
He also thanked the paramedics who can save him – Tim Timmer, Emma Stevens and Manil Hada.
In another video, Mr. Daenell shared a vision of the scene before being crushed by revelers in the wall of death.
Under a threatening sky, the crowd forms a large circle with a few people dancing in an open space in the center as the music builds.
Screams are then heard as festival-goers storm the empty space, and Mr. Daenell’s camera is obscured by bodies before being knocked to the ground.
Mr Daenell filmed the moments before being crushed into a ‘wall of death’
Mr Daenell’s TikTok followers shared their condolences and their admiration for his ability to continue partying despite his injury.
Some praised the music lover for ‘Still rocking in pain’.
“Pov when you’re literally in pain but not missing anything,” one of them commented.
“Dude, this is so metal,” said another.
The 2023 Knotfest was headlined by heavy metal stalwarts, Slipknot.
The lineup also featured genre legends Parkway Drive and Megadeath, along with Trivium and Swedish heavy metal chapter Amon Marth.
First announced in mid-2012, the festival reaffirmed its promise of a “dark carnival experience,” complete with large circus tents, amusement park rides, and drum circles made from junkyard cars.
The festival has since toured countries around the world every year, including Japan, Mexico, Germany, France, Brazil and Argentina.