Aussie band Trophy Eyes share update on fan left with ‘catastrophic spinal injury’ at gig
Australian punk band Trophy Eyes have shared an update on a fan who was left with a “catastrophic spinal injury” at their recent concert in the US.
Australian punk band Trophy Eyes has shared an update on a fan who was left with a “catastrophic spinal injury” at their recent concert in the US.
The Newcastle-based rock band was performing in Buffalo in April when lead singer John Floreani jumped into the mosh pit and accidentally injured concertgoer Bird Piche, 24.
The show at the Mohawk Place venue was immediately shut down with the singer accompanying the young woman to the hospital with her family after she suffered a serious spinal cord injury.
Three months after the incident, Trophy Eyes has given a health update on Instagram into Bird’s rehabilitation and it appears she is making great progress.
“We are happy to share that Bird is underway in the rehab phase of her recovery,” the band said in a statement posted to Instagram.
“With physical therapy, she has regained the movement in her arms and wrists, and feeling has returned to her legs and feet.”
However, the band stressed that Bird still has a long road ahead in her recovery.
“We all share the same eager optimism for her recovery, however, spinal injuries are very serious, and require a lot of hard work and patience – the first year of rehabilitation is critical,” they continued.
While Bird remains in a rehab unit, the band is hopeful she can continue treatment at her accessible new home.
“There’s still a very long road ahead for Bird and her family as they progress through her recovery, so we kindly ask that you keep them in your thoughts and continue to respect their privacy,” they added.
“We remain in frequent communication with Bird as we continue to work closely with the family to aid in Bird’s recovery any way we can. We love you, Bird.”
The band then shared a link to the GoFundMe page set up to help Bird with medical costs, with the band itself donating $5000.
At the time of the accident, one fan posted a video to Reddit and said it happened just two minutes into the first song.
“I left immediately once I saw the state she was in,” they said.
One user said they were directly beside Bird in the mosh pit and saw lead singer Floreani “clearly devastated” upon realising the severity of the situation.
“As soon as we heard her say she was scared and couldn’t move we knew it wasn’t good,” they wrote. “I am curious how this will affect the rest of the tour.”
The show was a part of the band’s 2024 US tour, which has continued since the injury.
In a statement released after the April 30 incident, the band said they were “truly heartbroken”.
“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,” the statement said.
“We remain in close contact with them and will expand on this as new news arrives.”
In a separate statement, the venue’s manager, Mike Thor, said there was a “no moshing” policy.
“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,” the manager of Buffalo’s Mohawk Place wrote in a statement.
“Our policy and practised 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.”