Bay Area band safe after mobile-stage tour bus hit in SF, needs thousands of dollars for replacement
"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."
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Members of the local Bay Area thrash metal band, Hemorage, are lucky to be alive after their tour bus was hit early Saturday morning in San Francisco's SOMA district.
"We just came from Sacramento to play an afterparty. 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," says Jon Orc, a guitarist for the three-member band.
Orc had just dropped off band member Ron Roussel, who plays drums. Orc and lead vocalist, Toby Bona Pak, were in the bus when they were hit. Bona Pak was taken to the ER with minor injuries, treated and released.
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Orc says the alleged driver who hit them was arrested by police, who happened to be nearby.
"It was crazy, it was like slow motion. The next thing I know, the person that is supposed to be next to me is not there. It was insane!" he says.
But their bus isn't like a typical tour bus. It's also their mobile stage.
"We just open the door and pop the window open and we just start playing... like a food truck concept, but we turned into music," explains Orc.
But no bus means no business. Their New Year's gig is now canceled. They planned to play in L.A. around the Grammys in February. Later, to tour parts of Texas.
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Orc says their losses will be in the thousands. That's a big hit for band trying to build momentum after the pandemic shutdowns.
"(We) grew our Instagram followers from 2,000 to 27,000. Got endorsements. Doing this full time now," says Orc.
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A new bus could cost upwards of $20,000, not to mention the thousands of dollars needed to replace damaged equipment. They set up a GoFundMe page to help cover costs. Rent and bills are due in January. They have to generate money to stay afloat. But they are not giving up.
"We always come back really strong. Before we got this warehouse, where we are at, we got robbed at our old store. And we got this warehouse seven days later. So, we have a good track record of bouncing back," says Orc.
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