A 24-year-old woman is left partially paralyzed after the lead singer of a band fell on top of her when he jumped off the stage during a concert.
Bird Piche suffered a “catastrophic spinal cord injury” after the frontman of Australian punk rock band Trophy Eyes attempted public surfing at their concert at Mohawk Place in Buffalo, New York, on April 30.
She was immediately taken to the hospital and has not yet regained full use of her hands or legs, she and her family told Sky’s US partner NBC News.
“We were even worried that he wouldn’t survive,” said Amy Leigh Flaminio, Piche’s mother.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Piche, who has been a fan of the band since 2016, described how he was conscious throughout the incident and clearly remembered how singer John Floreani jumped back into the audience.
“It was like his body and my neck,” he told NBC. “It was a crowd surfing thing.”
“It’s pretty typical for these types of shows,” he said. “I didn’t really know what to expect, but I definitely didn’t expect to be in a hospital after the concert.
“When you hear about these types of injuries, they’re obviously very serious, so I didn’t expect to have any recovery.”
He added: “I have a long road ahead of me, but I’m very optimistic right now.”
Stay up to date with the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Since the incident, Ms. Piche has regained her “gross motor skills” (basic movement of arms and legs), but will need extensive treatment to regain her fine motor skills, including intricate movements of her fingers and toes. that help with everyday tasks.
“So my legs, involuntarily, have been kicking a lot lately. I can’t control it,” Piche said.
“My arms, other than my manual dexterity, are almost completely there. My fingers don’t have full movement.”
He added: “Nothing is certain, obviously, but they predict that I will make a full recovery from everything.”
“Really heartbroken”
Trophy Eyes said they were “really heartbroken” after the incident and that Floreani accompanied Piche to the hospital after the show was cut short.
“Our friend Bird is now in recovery, but he still has a long road ahead of him,” the band wrote in a post on X on May 3.
“This situation has shaken us all to our core and we ask for patience as we seek to help Bird through this difficult time.
“Please keep Bird in your thoughts.”
NBC News could not immediately reach a representative for Trophy Eyes for comment Monday.
Read more from Sky News:
Hollywood actor punched in the face
The first victim in Tiburon has died
The band donated $5,000 (£3,900) to a GoFundMe page set up for Ms Piche and encouraged others to donate. The fundraiser has raised more than $70,000 (£55,000) so far.
The four-piece band is still touring the US and will arrive in the UK in September, performing in several cities including Manchester, London, Birmingham and Glasgow.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
