A punk rock-loving concertgoer was left partially paralyzed and only able to move his arms after the singer jumped into the crowd and landed on his head during a show in New York last month.
Bird Pichet, 24, suffered a “catastrophic spinal cord injury” at a Trophy Eyes concert on April 30th at Mohawk Place in Buffalo, New York. WGRZ.
Video posted to Australian post-punk rock band reddit page It shows the moment frontman John Floreani jumped off the stage and was stopped in midair by a raucous crowd.
Pichet’s pink hair can be seen swaying to the music at the front of the stage along with others in the packed 230-person venue, just before the singer jumps.
Floreani jumped off the stage in the blink of an eye, landing directly on her head, but others lifted the lead singer, seemingly unaware that she was seriously injured.
The 24-year-old does not appear again in the 13-second clip.
“This video is wild because if you didn’t know someone was hurt in the video, you would never expect that,” said Pichet’s friend Leo Walter Tejera. “It’s just like your average stage dive.”
Walter Tejera said Reddit users who claimed to have been in the crowd thought Piche had “passed out” and went to get cold rags.
However, the show was abruptly stopped when other concertgoers saw her still sitting on the ground.
“She didn’t wake up, but singer John seemed to be with her,” Walter Tejera said.
Floreani and his enthusiastic fans rode in an ambulance to Erie County Medical Center (ECMC), where he underwent “emergency trauma surgery.”
According to a GoFundMe page set up to help with Pichet’s medical expenses, Pichet suffered a spinal cord injury and will remain in the hospital indefinitely.
Walter Tejeras said she will need extensive rehabilitation soon after being released from the hospital.
“My understanding, and the conversations I’ve heard from doctors so far, is that it’s about a catastrophic spinal cord injury that we can’t determine and it will take a lot of time and patience to see what the outcome will be. ” said Walter Tejeras. outlet.
Trophy Eyes said the incident had “shaken us all to the core”.
“Out of respect for the family, we have refrained from speaking publicly about this matter until now, but thanks to the blessings of the family, we are now able to say how truly heartbreaking it is to be here. became.” written by the band. “Our bird friends are now on the mend, but they still have a long road ahead of them.”
“This situation has shaken us all to our core and we ask for your patience as we support Bird through this difficult time.”
The band said it remains in “close contact” with Pichet’s family and “wants to support Byrd through this difficult time.”
Trophy Eyes donated $5,000 to a crowdfunding page.
A Mohawk Place bartender said the venue has had a strict “no-crowdsurfing policy” in place since 2011, the report said. WKBW.
“Signage has been posted throughout the venue, and emails regarding this show with the show promoter and the band themselves have also included notifications,” Mohawk Place general manager Mike Thaw said in a statement to the magazine. “I was disappointed,” he said.
Musician Walter Tejeras spoke of the dangers fans face at shows that attract high levels of physical energy and the potential for antics such as mosh pits for concertgoers.
“The important thing about mosh pits is that consent is required. The number one rule of a pit is if someone falls, pick it up and don’t pull anyone into the pit who doesn’t want to be there,” Walter Tejeras told WKBW. Ta.
“The problem with what happened at this point is that there was no tacit consent. It was just bodies falling from the sky on people who didn’t know it was going to happen.”
