Trophy Eyes performed at the Mohawk Palace in Buffalo, New York on April 30, 2024. During the performance, Trophy Eyes singer John Floreani dove into the crowd in an unplanned stage dive, causing severe injury to a concertgoer, Bird Piché. Bird allegedly suffered a 'catastrophic spinal injury' leaving her paralyzed.
At the time of the accident, the band donated $5000 towards the GoFundMe campaign for the medical care of Piché and the band canceled the concert to go to the hospital with them. Subsequently, Floreani donated $6,000 extra on top of the band's contributions.
However, Piché has sued the band, the venue, and the promoter of the event. The lawsuit states in its opening statement:
"That on or about April 30, 2024, plaintiff BIRD PICHE was lawfully present at the aforesaid premises as a patron attending the defendant TROPHY EYES concert. While plaintiff BIRDPICHE was in attendance at this concert defendant JOHN FLOREANI jumped backwards from the stage into the audience. As a result of the uncontrolled stage dive-"
The statement goes on:
"- 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 suffering as a result of the incident."
The lawsuit accuses Mohawk Palace of negligence and the creation of dangerous conditions and After Dark Entertainment LLC of negligence and failure to prevent the creation of dangerous and unsafe conditions. It further accuses Trophy Eyes of negligence and failure to prevent unsafe conditions and John Floreani of negligence.
The lawsuit requests damages from the four defendants plus the cost of litigation and other fees associated with the lawsuit. Trophy Eyes has not commented on the lawsuit as of the writing of this article. The GoFundMe page has been closed, raising a total of $88,014 out of a $100,000 goal about 4 months ago.
Trophy Eyes statement on the incident in April
Trophy Eyes released a statement on the incident just after it happened, which is quoted below:
“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."
The statement continues:
"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.”
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The band is scheduled to perform across venues in Australia in 2025. The band will perform with Bloom in cities such as Gold Coast, Torquay, Newcastle, and Castlemaine. The tour is titled the Summer In Slow Motion Tour and will be the band's first new tour in 2025.
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