A concertgoer who sustained “catastrophic spinal injuries” during Newcastle punk act Trophy Eyes‘ set in New York earlier this year has filed a lawsuit against lead singer John Floreani, the band, the event promoter, and the venue.
24-year-old Bird Piché alleges her injuries occurred after Floreani stage-dived into the crowd at the gig in Buffalo and landed on her, leaving her partially paralysed.
The incident occurred at Mohawk Place on April 30th, with the band immediately stopping the show and accompanying Piché to hospital.
Trophy Eyes also donated USD $5K to a GoFundMe campaign set up to raise money for Piché’s medical bills, while Floreani himself donated another USD $6K of his own money. In total, the campaign has raised more than USD $88K for Piché, with Floreani listed as the top donor.
According to NBC news affiliate WGRZ, Piché’s lawsuit names the venue Mohawk Place, the promoter After Dark Entertainment, plus Trophy Eyes and Floreani himself all as defendants, claiming that Piche’s injuries were the result of their “negligence” and that the defendants failed to prevent “unsafe and/or dangerous conditions” at the show.
“While plaintiff BIRD PICHE was in attendance at this concert, defendant JOHN FLOREANI jumped backwards from the stage into the audience,” an excerpt of the lawsuit filing alleges. “As a result of the uncontrolled stage dive, the lead singer, JOHN FLOREANI, landed on top of plaintiff BIRD PICHE causing her to be trampled and/or fall, sustaining serious bodily injuries. Plaintiff, BIRD PICHE, experienced serious personal injuries, conscious physical and emotional pain, fear for her safety and pain and suffering as a result of the incident.”
Shortly after the incident, Trophy Eyes issued their own statement expressing their heartbreak over the events, which read:
“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. We remain in close contact with them and will expand on this as new news arrives.”
Piche and her family also spoke with NBC News a few months ago, revealing that they had regained use of her arms and some leg function, but still didn’t have full use of her hands and toes. “My legs, it’s involuntary, have been kicking a lot lately. I can’t control it,” Piché said. “My arms, they’re — besides my hand dexterity — almost fully there. My fingers don’t have full movement.”
You can read the full lawsuit filing here, or watch a TV news report showing footage of the stage dive up above.
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