Photo Credit ?: @ashbucketphotos
Bay Area crossover punk/thrash metal band Hemorage escaped without any serious injuries after being hit by a “reckless driver” early Saturday morning in San Francisco. The fiercely DIY band that plays independent gigs only from their converted van, and they were playing in Sacramento following Machine Head’s last concert of their US tour. According to the band’s post on social media, heading home after the gig, as they were exiting the freeway after dropping off their drummer, a driver fleeing another crime scene smashed into the van. The band was unharmed, but their van and gear were totaled, and the band has launched a GoFundMe. The San Francisco ABC affiliate covered the story. Please donate if you can.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/hemorage-recovery-fund
“We just came from Sacramento to play an afterparty,” Hemorage guitarist Jon Orc told ABC San Francisco affiliate KGO. “We were on our way home. As we exited the freeway, some guy was going about 60 to 80 miles an hour. And he hit us really hard. And he dragged us.”
In a social media post, Hemorage explained that Orc and guitarist/vocalist Toby Bona Pak had just dropped off drummer Ron Roussel when they were hit. Bona Pak was taken to the ER with minor injuries, treated and released.
“He hit the right side of our bus and kept on pushing the gas pedal and eventually [tried] to run away,” the band wrote. “Luckily enough there was an officer on the next block who stopped and arrested the driver.
“Our bus is totaled and we are not sure how much damage is done to our gear at the moment. Toby had to go to the ER and thankfully he did not get any major injuries. He is now with his family and recovering. Jon and his wife Missy did not get any injuries but only soreness from the collision.
“We are grateful that none of us are hurt and we can take time to rest and recover from this event. We will start picking back up the pieces and figure out what our next moves are after the holidays.”