We’ve all heard some pretty bad stories about people hurting themselves in the mosh, or worse, being hurt by others. But the injuries suffered by American woman Janelle Dunnaway at a gig for metal band Spite in Denver, Colorado are just horrendous.
After being struck by a flailing fan in the mosh, Janelle has been left with life-changing injuries and faces months of reconstructive surgery.
“I’ve never been in more pain in my life,” she said on social media. “The surgery was the most traumatic experience I’ve ever been through. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.”
Janelle’s injuries include the loss of several of her front teeth and the eventual loss of others, multiple skull and nasal fractures, and splintered pieces of bone scattered throughout her head, requiring at least three more surgeries over the next six months.
Four teeth were knocked out, and several more are now dead
A $10,000 fundraising campaign has been set up by a member of metal band Conquer Divide, for whom Janelle works as a stylist, and while the overall costs of these surgeries aren’t known yet, the dental work alone will total over $21,000 USD.
“I spent the entire night in the ER, I still haven’t slept,” she said the day after the incident, following an extended hospital stay. “I bled for 12 hours straight, FOUR teeth.
“I can’t close my mouth due to the one tooth that’s still there being knocked so far back. And the other one that’s there is chipped. They will probably both come out in time. One got lost in the venue. I caught one and they tried to stick it back in but it failed.”
Janelle managed to catch one of her own teeth, but lost several more
Following her first surgery, Janelle explained the severity of her situation, describing what her life will be like on the long road to recovery.
“I had my first round of surgery last night, there will be at least 3 more over the next 6 months,” she told the fundraising page. “My skull is fractured in multiple places, up into my nose. There were pieces of bone scattered all over the place that I had to have drilled out.
“I had to have new gum tissue and bone grafted in over the entire area. They hammered the two teeth that are still in there into place and splinted them, but they are dead and will have to be removed later.
“I’ve never been in more pain in my life. The surgery was the most traumatic experience I’ve ever been through. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. I have some temporary fake teeth so thank god I can at least leave my house now. It’s impossible for me to eat with the amount of pain I’m in right now…”
Janelle with a member of the band before the gig
The security footage of the incident has been released by the venue, with comments varying between condemning the “crowd killers” who decide to show off their “karate moves” at a gig, to people relaying stories of punters in the ’80s cutting each other with razorblades, and saying she should have kept away from the pit.
Fair enough, thrashing around is what a moshpit is for in some people’s eyes, but when the repercussions can be as horrendous as this, surely it’s time to have a think about what you could end up doing to everyone else in the venue.
