A concertgoer was reportedly left paralyzed after the lead singer of a rock band launched himself into the crowd and allegedly landed on her head.
Bird Piché attended the Trophy Eyes concert at the Mohawk Place in Buffalo, New York City, on April 30th, according to WGRZ.
Footage shared to the Australian group's Reddit page shows the 24-year-old, who has distinctive pink hair, bobbing to the music moments before frontman John Floreani leaped into the crowd - a stunt he often performs during concerts.
The show was immediately stopped following the incident, and Floreani accompanied Piché to the hospital.
Watch the moment below:Family friend Leo Wolters Tejera, who was also at the concert, spoke to WGRZ about the horrific event, stating: "The video is wild because unless you knew that someone was hurt in the video, you'd never expect that. Like it's just an average stage dive.
"The video that I saw on Facebook and then another angle surfaced on a Reddit thread, both of them just seem fairly innocuous," they continued, adding that it was “immediately” clear that something was wrong.
“Her neck was definitely broken, and as of today, she has feeling in her arms and she can use her fingers and hands and stuff,” Tejera said, per The Independent.
Piché suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury and was forced to undergo extensive surgery.
A family member has set up a GoFundMe page for her recovery and it has so far raised $64,991 of the intended $100,000 target.
"She has a long recovery ahead and will need all the help she can get," they explained in the description. "It is still too early to know what her prognosis is but after leaving the hospital she will need to go to a rehab facility. She will obviously not be able to work during this time."
The band said in a statement they were "truly heartbroken" by the incident but have made a $5,000 donation towards Piché's medical expenses.
Read the band's statement below:“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,” they penned.
“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," they continued.
“Our friend, Bird, is now in recovery but still has a long road ahead for them. 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," they concluded.
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