US punks Baroness treated in hospital following tour bus crash

Published on 17/08/2012 14:49

THREE members of a US punk rock band injured when their tour bus plunged down a viaduct remain in hospital.

The band, Baroness, from Savannah, Georgia, were touring Britain and Europe when their bus crashed in heavy rain on Wednesday.

A statement posted on the band’s website said John Baizley, Allen Blickle and Matt Maggioni had suffered fractures in the accident.

All three were still in hospital while the fourth member of the line-up, vocalist Pete Adams, had been discharged.

The driver of the bus remains in a critical condition, the band said.

Three of the five crew members on board the German-registered vehicle have also been released from hospital.

The accident happened when the tour bus smashed through safety barriers at the junction of Brassknocker Hill and the A36 in Bath at 11.30am on Wednesday and fell 30ft over the viaduct.

The band had played in Bristol on Tuesday night and were travelling to a gig in Southampton when the bus crashed.

A spokesman for the band said: “The band members of Baroness and their crew are recovering from injuries sustained after their tour bus crashed outside of Bath, England early on Wednesday morning.

“John Baizley has broken his left arm and left leg. Allen Blickle and Matt Maggioni each suffered fractured vertebrae. All three remain in the hospital as of this writing.

“Pete Adams has been treated and released from the hospital.

“Three of the five crew members who were on the bus have also been treated and released.

“One member is still undergoing testing. The driver of the bus remains in critical condition.

“Please stay tuned for further updates. Thank you for all the support during this extremely difficult time.”

The band has received thousands of messages of support on Facebook and through Twitter, including a message from Rock musician Alice Cooper.

Cooper tweeted to his 96,980 followers: “Our pals @YourBaroness were in a serious bus crash last night. Thankfully nobody was killed. Recover quickly guys!”

Emergency services said on Wednesday two people, including the driver, were trapped in the wreckage.

One of the men was taken to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, while the remaining eight were taken to Royal United Hospital in Bath.

No other vehicles were in the crash with the single-decker, black and red German bus.

It appears that the bus failed to stop at the bottom of the T-junction at Brassknocker Hill and crashed over the viaduct.

An Avon Fire and Rescue spokesman said: “For reasons that are not yet known, the coach failed to stop at the bottom of Brassknocker Hill, travelled across the A36 and left the road, dropping around 30ft below, coming to rest near a canal.”

The bus came to a standstill with its wheels still on the ground, taking with it foliage and tree branches which covered the roof of the vehicle.

Seats and bits of wood from inside were pulled out and all of its windows were smashed.

Inspector Steve Mildren, from Avon and Somerset Police, said: “It had been raining really heavily.”

An investigation is now under way to establish how and why the bus left the road.