'His body and my neck': Woman recalls punk singer's stage dive that sent her to hospital paralyzed
An Australian punk rock singer jumped into a western New York crowd and badly injured a fan he landed on, sending her to the hospital paralyzed, she and loved ones said Monday.
Since the incident at the Trophy Eyes concert at Mohawk Place in Buffalo on April 30, Bird Piché, 24, has regained use of her arms and some leg function — but not full use of her hands and toes, Piché and her family told NBC News.
She suffered “a catastrophic spinal cord injury” at the concert, according to a GoFundMe page set up to aid in her recovery, and she was stunned by the diagnosis.
"When you hear about these types of injuries, they're obviously very serious, so I didn't expect to have any recovery," Piché said from her hospital bed.
The family feared the worst when Piché, named after legendary saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker, was rushed to the hospital."We were even worried she wasn't going to make it," mom Amy Leigh Flaminio said.
Piché never blacked out during the incident and said she clearly remembered how Trophy Eyes frontman John Floreani leaped backward into the audience.
"It was, like, his body and my neck," Piché said. "It was a crowd-surfing thing.”
Piché said she has been following Trophy Eyes since 2016 and understands such stage antics aren't uncommon at punk performances.
"It's pretty typical at these kinds of shows," she said. "I didn't really know what to expect, but I definitely didn't expect to be in a hospital after the concert."
"I have a long road ahead, but I'm very optimistic right now," she said.
Piché, her mother and her stepfather declined to comment when they were asked whether they're considering any civil action.
For now, Piché and her family are just focusing on getting her back to 100%.
"I'm going to rehab either later today or tomorrow, but they do think I'll have full recovery," Piché said. "Nothing is certain, obviously, but they are predicting l will have full recovery of everything."
Piché now has "gross motor skills," the most basic movements of arms and legs. But she hopes to attain "fine motor skills" and the ability to make intricate finger and toe movements to achieve basic, everyday tasks.
"So my legs, it's involuntary, have been kicking a lot lately. I can't control it," said Piché, a patient service specialist for Planned Parenthood. "My arms, they're — besides my hand dexterity — almost fully there. My fingers don't have full movement." Considering what the family were told the night of April 30, the outlook is better than expected.
Flaminio said: "It's going to be a long road, but the early signs are so promising. It's exciting."
A representative for Trophy Eyes could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.The band is still traveling in the U.S. and has a gig set for Tuesday night in Berkeley, California.
Several days after the incident, the band said it was "heartbroken" and urged its fans to donate to a GoFundMe page set up for Piché.
"This situation has shaken us all to our core," the band said in a statement. "Please keep Bird in your thoughts."
The April 30 show was cut short as Floreani, the frontman, rode in the ambulance with Piché, her family said. The band donated $5,000 to Piché through the GoFundMe account.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
