Diamond Bodine-FischerSee also: Our review of FYF Fest, September 3, 2011
On Labor Day at FYF Fest, Rae Deslich was enjoying the performance by the recently reunited dance-punk band Death From Above 1979.
The 28-year-old Echo Park resident had gotten separated from her friends at the event, held at Los Angeles State Historic Park. She was dancing behind the mosh pit when, she says, the experience turned ugly.
As she describes it, she was struck out of nowhere by a flying metal spike — the kind used to secure tents and canopies — which lodged about an inch into her neck.
Rae Deslich
She adds that was taken by ambulance to Los Angeles County-USC Hospital, where the spike was surgically removed. “The ER doctor told me that I nearly died,” she writes in a chain email that has made the rounds in recent weeks.
FYF officials declined comment, as the incident is still under investigation.
In the end, Deslich says she spent about five hours in the hospital and racked up about $3000 in medical bills. But what's most bizarre about the story is that she has no idea where this spike came from, she says; it fell out of the blue, seemingly at random.
She spoke to us about the situation and its aftermath.
Her neck is healing, she says, but she remains preoccupied with finding the person responsible for tossing the spike. While the LAPD is currently doing DNA testing on it, she goes on, she's not hopeful for a match — as the perpetrator would already have to be in their database. “So my best hope for finding my attacker is still for an eyewitness to come forward,” she tells us.
She asks that anyone who may have seen anything, or has any information, contact her at zapevaj@gmail.com.
More from the email:
As far as i can tell, someone threw the spike: I was in the middle of an open field, not near any structures or scaffolding, nothing nearby exploded, etc. Someone just picked up a spike, said to themselves, “fuck it”, threw it into the air, and it nearly killed me.
There was a person who threw a spike into the crowd – and they were surrounded by people, thousands of people. Someone had to have seen it; I need to find that person, and my best bet is by having them read something online – and tell their friends, and they tell their friends, until someone says, “Wait, really? 'Cause I saw a guy throw something.
[sic]
A picture of the purported spike is below.
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