Baroness’ Tour Bus Crashes, Injuring Members

Baroness was in the middle of a European tour, traveling to a gig scheduled Wednesday in Southhampton, U.K., after playing Tuesday’s show in Bristol. The group, which formed in Savannah, Ga., in 2003, has played Coachella and opened for acts including Metallica, Deftones, Mastodon and Meshuggah. 

The band posted the following statement on its website along with a link to a BBC News story about the crash:

“Baroness were in a serious bus accident last night near Bath, England. The band members and crew are recovering at local hospitals. All tour dates are postponed until further notice. More updates to come.”

The two people who suffered multiple fractures had to wait for firefighters to free them from the vehicle, according to the BBC. The U.K.’s Telegraph reports that the driver and another passenger were rescued with hydraulic equipment. The other seven passengers suffered minor injuries.

The accident occurred at Brassknocker Hill in Monkton Combe during a heavy rainstorm.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service told the Telegraph, “For reasons that are not yet known, the coach [tour bus] failed to stop at the bottom of Brassknocker Hill, travelled across the A46 and left the road, dropping around 30ft below, coming to rest near a canal.”

Eyewitness Tony Cook, who was working at a property at the bottom of Brassknocker Hill, gave his view of the crash to the BBC.

“At the top of the hill it is quite windy so they were going quite slow and seemed to be taking it quite carefully,” Cook said. “It was torrential rain – it was like one of these eastern storms or something, it was like a river down here.

“When we got down there the driver was hanging out of front of the coach, but his legs were trapped so we had to free him and get him back and comfortable. Then we got some ladders down there so that the people that were conscious inside could get out.

“We just got the people to the side of the road and made them comfortable and just helped where we could because obviously there was quite a bit of commotion, screaming and that, but then the police and the ambulance got here and they took over.”

The nine passengers were taken to local hospitals. After the crash Brassknocker Hill as well as a section of the A36 road were both closed, according to the BBC. Police are investigating the accident. 

Baroness had U.S. gigs scheduled in late August as well as festival appearances booked from September through November.

Click here for Baroness’ website.