The four members of American metalcore group Silent Planet are currently in recovery following a rollover accident in Nevada earlier in the month. The band went on their tour and, after only one show, their van crashed down a snowy embankment. They landed upside-down on the road. One band member was taken to hospital.
The incident happened in the early hours of November 3, as the band was driving through rural Wyoming. Garrett Russell, frontman, shared his account of the frightening crash on Instagram. He also posted pictures of the crash site. “driver hit a patch of ice and our vehicle spun and flipped, rolling off the side of the freeway.” After the van came to a stop, Russell said he and his fellow bandmates – guitarist Mitchell Stark, bassist Thomas Freckleton, and drummer Alex Camarena – “awoke up at different moments after the crash, yelling for each other, scattered wherever the crash had flung us upside-down. Although they were all conscious and alive, and “The incident left Russell with a head injury that caused him to lose his hair.
Garrett found that blood was coming out of my head. We used whatever was available in the van to cover the wound and stop the bleeding.” Russell wrote. “I was rushed to the hospital, where they stopped my bleeding, did MRI’s and stitched my head back together. It is affecting everyone in the band, but it is incredibly fortunate that we were able to get out of this wreckage… without having to grieve a friend.”
While Russell said the band is “It is a blessing to be alive” he went on to explain that they are also contending with the fact that this is going to put us in a seemingly impossible financial situation. Only a day into tour, we’ve yet to generate any income from this tour, and are still financially in the red.”After the crash, the band was rebuilt. A GoFundMe pageHelp them get back on their tour and cover the cost of the crash. GoFundMe exceeded its goal of $70,000 in less than a day.
Russell reacted to the support and love shown Silent Planet after the accident. Returned to InstagramHe shared his feelings a day later. “holding back tears of gratitude.”He continued to write. “Today we’ve experienced another miracle: You,”Sharing that “the money that has come in has been enough to pay the many expenses required to get back on the road… and now it appears that there’s to cover the expenses associated with future transportation.”He ended his sentence by writing: “please know that we will never forget what happened here over the last day… We love all. Thanks for being the most hospitable community in earth.”