Woman partially paralyzed at Mohawk Place suing singer who jumped on her
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A 24-year-old woman is suing the lead singer of the Australian rock band Trophy Eyes after a crowd surf attempt left her partially paralyzed.
Bird Piché, who suffered a broken neck from the incident, is also suing the concert venue, Mohawk Place, the promoter, After Dark Entertainment, and the band.
“I'm sure that Bird doesn't want anyone to have to sit in a wheelchair after attending a concert,” said Legal Analyst Terry Connors, who is not connected to the case.
Piché suffered a spinal injury this past April after John Floreani, lead singer of Trophy Eyes, dove on top of fans while trying to crowd surf. Piché needed emergency surgery and only has minimal movement in her arms and legs today.
Connors says this situation has become more common.
“I've seen them in Rochester, I've seen it in Texas, I've seen it in other jurisdictions. So, it's obviously something that concert promoters and performers ought to be aware of,” said Connors.
Piché is now suing the venue, promoter, band and lead singer. The suit alleges that the defendants failed to avert "unsafe and/or dangerous conditions," causing the injury.
“All of those are linked together and that often results in some type of a settlement prior to trial," Connor said. "So, the results so far in these types of cases have been successful."
A GoFundMe to support Piché's recovery and rehab has raised just over $88,000 as of Tuesday.
Connors says that in his experience during lawsuits like this, the priority of the injured person is usually future deterrents.
“They often always say to me in the first visit, 'please see that this doesn't happen again,'" said Connors.
"The second thing is damages. Damages could be medical bills to sustain her for the future. She's entitled to some pain and suffering as well. So, those are all the elements of the case for damages. I've not had a case where people don't put it first: the deterrent aspect of it, ya know, stop this from happening."
We have reached out to Bird and her attorney, along with both the owner of Mohawk Place and the band for comments but have not heard back as of Tuesday.
Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.