Madrid, Spain (Top40 Charts) - All four members of
Alien Ant Farm sustained broken bones, injuries, and/or cuts and bruises in a tour bus accident in Spain early Wednesday (May 22) morning.
According to the band's spokesperson, singer Dryden Mitchell injured his back, guitarist Terry Corso broke his ankle, bassist Tye Zamora injured his foot, and drummer Mike Cosgrove sustained cuts and bruises. Further details of their injuries were not available at press time.
The band's European tour bus driver was killed in the accident, which happened when the bus hit a parked truck on the highway at 2:20 a.m. just outside of Madrid. The group was travelling from Luxembourg to its next gig in Lisbon, Portugal, which was scheduled for Thursday (May 23). Most of the band members and crew were asleep at the time of impact.
Members of the group's crew and tour manager were also injured, but none of the injuries are life-threatening. However, the group's head of security from the Czech Republic is said to have sustained critical, but undetermined injuries.
"We send our condolences and prayers to the family of the driver, and our prayers are with David [group's head of security] in hopes that he has a full recovery," said manager John Boyle of Borman/Moir/Boyle Entertainment. "We're obviously very fortunate and thankful the band and crew survived the accident."
It was unclear at press time if the band was still being treated at the hospital or when they would be able to return home. The cause of the accident was also unknown, but given the time of morning and the fact that the bus collided with a parked vehicle, some speculate that the driver might have fallen asleep at the wheel, which is a common tour hazard.
Alien Ant Farm's next show was to be this Saturday (May 25) at the WHFS Festival in Washington, D.C., but it has been cancelled. All appearances will be cancelled until further notice. The band has been touring in support of its 2001 album ANThology, which features the hits "Attitude," "Movies," and its cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal," and had expected to hit the studio in June to work on its next album.
