BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A young woman is fighting to recover after suffering a serious injury during a concert at a popular venue in Downtown Buffalo.
Concertgoers were enjoying a performance from Trophy Eyes at Mohawk Place when a band member jumped into the crowd.
That crowd-surfing attempt left 24-year-old Bird Piché with a serious spinal cord injury. Piché underwent extensive surgery but still has a long recovery ahead.
7 News checked in with a longtime family friend of Piché to learn more about her condition.
"You can tell immediately, once the singer hit the crowd, the video cuts off. It was an immediate, we knew something was wrong," said Leo Wolters Tejera. "Her neck was definitely broken and as of today, she has feeling in her arms. She can use her fingers and hands and stuff. Her fine motor skills are a little rough but the surgeon said that's kind of normal from the surgery and anesthesia."
The Olean resident told 7 News anchor Pheben Kassahun over Zoom that Piché was taken to ECMC for immediate trauma surgery.
She was conscious during that commute and a member of the band even went with her in the ambulance.
Today, Piché is now breathing on her own but doctors said her recovery will be slow.
The band, Trophy Eyes, posted to the following message to Instagram Friday addressing the horrific accident:
"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.
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. Our friend, Bird, is now in recovery, but still has a long road ahead for them. A gofundme has been set up by their family, you can donate below.
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."
Yours faithfully, Trophy Eyes
Kassahun went over to Mohawk Place Friday and learned from a bartender that the venue has had a very strict "no crowd surfing policy" since 2011.
The general manager released the following statement to 7 News:
"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. Our policy and practiced 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 go fund me."
Mike Thor
General Manager
Buffalo's Mohawk Place
As a musician themselves, Tejera warned about mosh pits and urged people to be cognizant of how dangerous they can be.
"The thing about mosh pits is that there needs to be consent. The number one rule of the pit is if someone falls, you pick them up and that you don't pull anyone into the pit that didn't want to be there," they said. "The problem with what happened at this moment was there was no implied consent. There was just a body falling down from the sky onto a person who didn't know that was going to be happening."
Piché's hospital stay will be indefinite and rehab will immediately follow, according to Tejera.
"Bird is an amazing human. She's an artist, she's an activist, she's an advocate. She's absolutely completely full of life. I really, really hope that through the GoFundMe that's going on and through the doctors we can see all that Bird has to give to the world."
A GoFundMe to cover the cost of medical bills has been created. Trophy Eyes has already made a $5,000 donation.
To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.
