A young woman who was seriously injured after the lead singer of an Australian punk rock band surfed over her is now reportedly partially paralyzed.
Disturbing footage shows Piché’s signature pink hair moving to the music before Floreani jumped into the crowd in an incident that the band said “has shocked us all to our core.”
The music lover’s neck was broken and she was partially paralyzed – but according to family friend Leo Wolters Tejera, she has now regained feeling in her arms and fingers.
“Her neck was definitely broken and as of today she has feeling in her arms,” Tejera told ABC’s WKBW on May 3.
The show at Buffalo’s Mohawk Place was immediately halted and Floreani accompanied Ms Piche (pictured) to the hospital where she underwent “extensive surgery.”
The band’s lead singer, John Floreani, dove into the crowd (pictured), crushing Ms Piche and seriously injuring her
“She can use her fingers and hands and stuff. Her fine motor skills are a little rough, but the surgeon said that’s normal after surgery and anesthesia.”
Tejera added that he was shocked by the extent of his friend’s injuries as the footage of the shock incident does not look dramatic.
“The video is wild because unless you knew someone was getting hurt in the video, you would never expect that,” he told WKBW.
‘Like it’s just an average stage dive. The video I saw on Facebook and then another angle on a Reddit thread both seem fairly innocuous.”
Tejera, who has launched a fundraising campaign to cover Piché’s medical expenses, recalled that the incident occurred during the band’s opening song.
“He (Floreani) dived into the crowd on stage, and there just must not have been enough people around to catch him or they wouldn’t have known he was going to jump,” he said.
Another commentator who claimed to be standing behind Piché when Floreani dived off stage previously said the singer was “obviously devastated” after realizing he had hurt her.
Tejera added that others at the concert thought Piché had fainted, so they rushed to get her a cold cloth.
“When they came back they realized she was on the ground,” he said. “She didn’t get up and John, the singer, was like with her.
“So yeah, they took her straight to the hospital for emergency trauma surgery, and then she was admitted.”
The band said in a statement that they were “truly heartbroken” by the incident but have decided to continue their US tour in 2024.
“This situation has shaken us all to our core, and we ask for patience as we work to help Bird get through this difficult time. Please keep Bird in your thoughts,” the statement read: news.com.au reported.
‘We are in close contact with them and will expand this as soon as new news emerges.’
Bird Piche (pictured) suffered a ‘catastrophic spinal cord injury’ after attending Australian band Trophy Eyes’ show in Buffalo, New York
Trophy Eyes (pictured) has donated $5,000 to a GoFundMe for Ms Piche’s medical expenses
Trophy Eyes donated $5,000 to the GoFundMe for Piché’s medical bills and loss of income.
The band from Newcastle, Australia also tweeted their condolences to her family on X.
“As a result of the tragic accident on the night of April 30, a Trophy Eyes fan was injured at our show in Buffalo NY.
“We chose to stop the show immediately while John accompanied them to the hospital with their family.
“Out of respect for the family, we have not spoken about it publicly until now, but with the family’s blessing we can now say how heartbroken we are to be here right now.
‘Our friend, Bird, is now recovering, but still has a long road ahead… the situation has shaken us all to our core, and we ask for patience as we try to help Bird through this difficult time .’
Stephanie Brown, a close family friend who organized the fundraiser with Tejera, said Piché has already undergone “extensive surgery”
Disturbing footage shows Piché’s signature pink hair moving to the music before Floreani jumped into the crowd in an incident that the band said has ‘shocked us all to our core’
Stephanie Brown, a close family friend who organized the fundraiser with Tejera, said Piché has already undergone “extensive surgery.”
“She has a long recovery ahead of her and will need all the help she can get,” she wrote.
‘It’s too early to know what her prognosis is, but after she leaves hospital she will need to go to a rehabilitation centre. She will obviously not be able to work during this time.’
Buffalo’s Mohawk Place manager Mike Thor said the venue has a strict “no moshing” policy.
“There are signs all over the venue and there was notice in the emails for this show to the show promoter and the band itself,” he said in a statement.
“Our policy and practiced procedure is a complete show stop for any stage dive implemented for this incident.
“We are currently working on setting up a charity show to help the injured party with their GoFundMe.”