What happened to Bird Piché? GoFundMe raises more than $56,000 after Trophy Eyes stage dive leaves fan paralyzed

A GoFundMe campaign raising money for Bird Piché, a 24-year-old punk rock fan who sustained a severe spinal cord injury at a recent Trophy Eyes concert in Buffalo, New York, has surpassed $56,000. The injury, according to WGRZ, leaves Piché partially paralyzed and only able to move her arms.

The incident occurred on April 30, during a Trophy Eyes performance at Mohawk Place. Stage diving, a practice where performers jump off the stage into the crowd, was involved. While common at punk shows, safety concerns surrounding the maneuver have been raised. According to a family friend, Leo Wolter Tejera, video footage of the incident shows a seemingly routine stage dive.

"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."

However, Piché was critically injured during the dive, possibly due to a lack of crowd support to safely catch the singer. She underwent emergency surgery and remains hospitalized. The GoFundMe page, titled "Support Bird's Recovery and Rehabilitation," aims to assist with mounting medical bills and ongoing care. The band Trophy Eyes themselves have also contributed $5,000 to the campaign.

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Trophy Eyes stage dive leaves 24-year-old fan, Bird Piché, paralyzed

A GoFundMe campaign raising money for Bird Piché, a 24-year-old punk rock fan who sustained a severe spinal cord injury at a recent Trophy Eyes concert in Buffalo, New York, has raised half of the $100,000 target. The injury, according to WGRZ, leaves Piché partially paralyzed and only able to move her arms.

The incident, captured on a brief clip now circulating on the Australian post-punk rock band's Reddit page, shows a seemingly innocuous stage dive gone tragically wrong. The footage depicts frontman John Floreani launching himself from the stage into the crowd at the packed-out 230-person Mohawk Place venue. Moments before the jump, Piché's distinctive pink hair can be seen near the front of the stage.

Floreani takes flight in a blink of an eye, but the crowd's support appears uneven. The grainy video shows him landing directly on Piché's head, while others lift the singer, seemingly unaware of the severity of the impact. The 24-year-old disappears from the 13-second clip, never to reappear.

Piché's friend, Leo Wolter Tejera, revealed that some Reddit users claiming to be at the concert initially thought Piché had fainted and went to get her a cold compress. The true extent of her injuries only became apparent later.

Piché reportedly faces a long road to recovery. According to Tejera, extensive rehabilitation will be required as soon as she is medically cleared.

"To my understanding and the conversation we've heard so far from doctors is with catastrophic spinal injuries, you just can't tell and they take a lot of time and patience to see what the outcome is really gonna be."

The incident has cast a heavy shadow on Trophy Eyes. The band themselves have acknowledged the gravity of the situation, stating that the event "has shaken us all to our core." The concert itself took a turn for the worse when other audience members noticed Piché remain motionless on the ground.

"She wasn't getting up, and John, the singer, was like right there with her."

Floreani, visibly concerned, reportedly accompanied Piché in the ambulance to Erie County Medical Center (ECMC), where she underwent emergency trauma surgery for her spinal cord injuries.

There have been some positive developments since. Piché has reportedly been moved to a regular room, can breathe on her own, and communicates through texting.

Bird Piché is more than just a concertgoer who sustained a serious injury. Wolter Tejera describes her as "an incredibly talented artist" passionate about photography and painting. Beyond her artistic pursuits, Bird is known for her activism and advocacy. Tejera said:

"She's kind of just embodying those things. Stepping out into the world and being this person that she was raised to be and being very fully vibrant."

The incident has also raised questions about safety measures at concert venues. Mohawk Place, where the Trophy Eyes concert took place, has reportedly had a strict "no crowd surfing policy" since 2011.

A statement from Mohawk Place's general manager, Mike Thor, confirms the policy and indicates that signage and communication regarding the policy were in place for the Trophy Eyes show.