Death on Tour...
GNDProds
Does anyone know of any fatalities that have happened on tour? All I can
think of is the Jim Ott car wreck where he was killed with Spirit in 1980.
Are there any other known tragedies associated with touring drum corps?
Sorry for the macabre post but maybe it'll get people off this damn Bb
thing!
Andrew
mcel...@earthlink.net
I think a freelancer died in the late 70's or early 80's....There was a
story about his ghost.....
BEAU
Durring finals week in 1995 the Colts lost a long time supporter and
volunteer, who was also the father of one of the age-outs. Gary Brewer Passed
away of a massive hear atack when the corps was taking time away from rehersal
and visiting Niagra Falls. Many of the DCI corps helped us thru the difficult
time by providing us meals, volunteers, and support. Gary's son, Adam, (euph.
92-95... Visual staff 96-present) was interviewed by Dennis Delucia and the
interview can be seen after the Colts 1996 performance on the DCI video.
Beau
Cotls
Frank Jacobson
In article <1997Mar6...@viper.uni.edu>, meyer...@viper.uni.edu
says...
>
>In article <19970306195...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
gndp...@aol.com (GNDProds) writes:
>> Does anyone know of any fatalities that have happened on tour?
Yes....68 or 69 Skokie Imperials had one of their busses go off a cliff.
A horn player named Charles Guider was killed. That was the downfall of
the corps as I remember....ended their tour and came back for only one or
two seasons more.
PRDuckman
In 1988 McGavock High School's winterguard lost a few kids in a van wreck.
also, every so often someone gets zapped by lightning on tour. I recall a
senior corps member dying in this fashion in 87, but cannot recall ever
seeing anyone in my corps (PR 86-90) having died on tour. I know that our
drill writer (John Brazale) had a thing against practicing in the rain as
he (so the story goes) witnessed a kid get struck by lightning when he
marched in the 60's.
Rudolph L. Engman
BEAU wrote:
>
> In article <19970306195...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, gndp...@aol.com (GNDProds) writes:
I remember something about an accident with the Quad City Knights around
the early 90's. I believe their bus was hit and some members injured.
If anyone can supply more details....
Yvonne Engman
shoe
I heard there was a bus accident while the Garfield Cadets were on tour,
but not sure. sometime in the early 90's. Also, a Madison Scout was
injured in an accident and now he is paralyzed from the waist down.
That I believe happened in the late 80's. He stayed at the same hotel
as me when DCI 1990 was in Buffalo,NY at Rich Stadium.
David Schaafsma
GNDProds wrote:
>
> Does anyone know of any fatalities that have happened on tour? All I can
> think of is the Jim Ott car wreck where he was killed with Spirit in 1980.
> Are there any other known tragedies associated with touring drum corps?
>
If I remember right there was a bad bus accident with the Los
Angeles Chinese Drum and Bugle Corps around 1972 or 73. I heard that it
was the main reason that the corps went under. Also, I have heard
stories about a bus accident with VK some years back. The story goes
that one of the buses hit a motorcyclist and killed him.
--
Dave Schaafsma
Director Dave's
Web Dyanamics
The Sound Machine of the Inland Empire Web Design and
Hosting Services
<http://www.cyberg8t.com/soundmachine>
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PRDuckman
The cadets accident was in 87. I was a member of Regiment at the time, and
we had to help ferry some of their members over the Canadian Border. A
girl was killed, but she was not a member of the corps. The madison
accident was a kid on his way to banquet after the conclusion of the
season.
Also, Regiment had a big wreck leaving Montreal in 87, but I don't think
anyone was killed.
Often you hear of people getting struck by lightning, but I can't name any
specific instances.
Jeff DeMello
We had a guy die on BD tour in (I think) '77. He was a pseudo-assistant
drum instructor/helper who drove his own van. His first name was Tom (I
forgot his last). His dog died also.
It was a pretty awful thing when Jerry (Seawright) announced his van
accident. I also remember Robbie Stratton (brother of our M&M
instructor Mel Stratton) was in the accident, and thankfully survived.
==============================================================
Jeff DeMello European Security Evaluations Manager
Oracle Corporation jdem...@us.oracle.com
500 Oracle Parkway, MS 3op738a Phone: (415) 506-8797
Redwood Shores, CA 94065 Fax: (415) 506-7800
==============================================================
FStegall
In 1984, the Troopers had a diabetic kid pass away on the bus during the
night on the way to a show in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. I was at that show
on the Blue Knights staff, and it is my understanding that the kid was
pretty much a terminal case, and was doing his sort of "Make a Wish" thing
by marching drumcorps that summer, but just didn't last out the season.
Beau, if you will check with Greg O., I think the Colts had a parental
fatality on tour early in his career, but I don't know the details.
Floyd Stegall
Transportation Coordinator
Maynard Ferguson Music USA
Tour manager - several corps over several years....
Kathy Thorne
PRDuckman (prdu...@aol.com) wrote:
: The cadets accident was in 87. I was a member of Regiment at the time, and
In the early 80's I believe a baritone player (I think he was in BD) was
struck by lightning during rehearsal and killed. He was a friend of my
brother in law (John Freeman).
AJLisko
>>>tho...@uoguelph.ca (Kathy Thorne) wrote:
In the early 80's I believe a baritone player (I think he was in BD) was
struck by lightning during rehearsal and killed. He was a friend of my
brother in law (John Freeman).<<<
Can't remember the year (think it was 83 or 84) but, NY Skyliners
also had a member (Frank Petric) struck and killed by lightning at
a rehearsal just prior to the season.
Andy Lisko
St. Raphael's/Bpt. PAL 58-68
NY Skyliners 69-81
L8SHOW22
A few I know of...
- 85 Suncoast hit a car head on. (at least I've been told)
- 87 VK drum bus went off the highway in PA. A few minor injuries.
Totaled Bus. Crash covered on CNN. Mud swamp and soft trees saved lives.
I was there.
- 88 Star ( i think) flipped a van with tour director inside.
- 86 Blue Knights had lightning strike their staff tower while it was
being broken down. Several serious injuries. Made the news. Now Corps
NEVER practices when lightning is near.
VK bus killed a motorcyclist on an off ramp in the late 70s-early 80s.
- Star of Indiana member killed in crash of American Eagle flight from
Indianapolis to Chicago (Winter 95).
BDcontra
It wasn't 58, but 86 Suncoast. Here's what really happened:
It was after DCI South in Birmingham, and the corps was travelling to
Memphis, TN. Sometime around 3am, while traveling on one of those
two-lane Alabama backroads, a drunk friver in a white ford pick up came
around a corner at 70+mph and swerved into the right hand lane that our
staff bus occupied. The staff bus driver, a professional with many years
of experience, attempted to swerve to the right to get out of the way. He
ALMOST pulled it off.
The truck hit the bus head on, was dragged 100 or so yards by the bus, and
was deposited in a ravine. The driver was killed on impact. We later found
out that he was drunk.
The bus driver was pushed OUT the left side of the cab, but was able to
hang on to the wheel and bring the bus to s (somewhat) safe stop. He had
broken both legs, and was pretty cut up. His tactical driving kept the
staff bus from falling into the ravine. There were only minor injuries on
the staff bus, thank god.
The more chilling aspect of this, was the moves that the remaining three
drivers had to make to prevent a pile up of all four busses. This is no
rub against volunteer drivers, but to this day I am thankful Suncoast used
professional drivers (from the First Class Charter Line, St. Petersburg).
John Adcock
Concord Blue Devils 1989
Suncoast Sound 1985-88
Christina Mavroudis
Good morining:
Morbid subject, but I'm wondering if anyone remembers
the Pride of Cincinnati tragedy circa 1982. I was
told this by a bus driver last summer who said a stalled
bus on the roadside had members transfering to a staff
van. A drunk driver later and they lost staff, drum
major, soloist, etc. The story was Madison performed
across the street as the funeral participants left
the church. I got this second (or third) hand, but
does anyone remember this or was I getting a 'ghost
story' that night? The details he gave were rather
frightening and extremely sad. All the guard ladies
around me were in tears by the end of his story.
MAV
Healey, Christine
>Can't remember the year (think it was 83 or 84) but, NY Skyliners
>also had a member (Frank Petric) struck and killed by lightning at
>a rehearsal just prior to the season.
Frankie died during the spring of 1986.
Christine Healey
St. Ignatius Girls 1982
Long Island Kingsmen 1983, 1984
Bayonne Bridgemen 1985
Crossmen 1987, 1988, 1989
JRAbney
I was in Spirit of Atlanta when Jim Ott was killed (1980). It happened
when the staff van wrecked on the interstate in Mississippi in the middle
of the night between New Orleans and Memphis. Brass instructor Loyd Pesola
was injured so severely that he didn't return to tour. Others had minor
injuries. Needless to say, it was a very emotional time for all concerned
with the corps.
We were told that the U-Haul that the van was pulling blew a tire and
caused the van to wreck. A friend of mine who was actually in the van said
that there were Spirit t-shirts scattered up and down the interstate.
This followed an accident in 1979 when the Spirit equipment truck was
literally blown off the road out west by strong cross winds. The truck was
lying in the ditch (no one was seriously hurt) and instruments and
uniforms were on the ground. Luckily the Crossmen busses happened up on
the wreck (the Spirit busses were not travelling with the truck) just as a
wrecker was about to pull the wreckage OVER the instruments, etc. The
Crossmen director stopped the wrecker and had his kids quickly grab
everything, saving Spirit's equipment!
Also, in 1980, we heard of a wreck that happened to a parent of a
Cavalier member. The parent was killed on the way to finals in B'ham.
Jeff Abney
Spirit tenors 1980, 81
Vince Stewart
L8SHOW22 wrote:
> VK bus killed a motorcyclist on an off ramp in the late 70s-early 80s.
The year was 1982. I was on the bus nicknamed, ³The Eagle² when it
happened. We were coming home from Finals in Montreal. It happened about
half-way home, somewhere in the midwest about an hour after sunrise. I
remember being awakened by a horrible thud! It was at a four-way
intersection with stop signs in the middle of a small town. A chain
reaction occurred when the brakes on the Eagle gave out, sandwiching a
motorcycle driver between the Eagle and the catering truck. The catering
truck was being towed behind another bus at the time due to a blown
engine that happened sometime mid-tour. The motorcycle driver was pinned
under the truck and was killed instantly. No other injuries took place.
We stayed in town all day until the local authorities concluded that it
was mechanical failure, not human error that caused the accident. Many
members at the time thought it would cause end to the corps.
Vince
Bayou Bear
Vince Stewart <wcsdvs...@earthlink.net> wrote in article
<332D58...@earthlink.net>...
> L8SHOW22 wrote:
>
> > VK bus killed a motorcyclist on an off ramp in the late 70s-early 80s.
>
>
Wow, I never knew this.
Roger
Freelancers '81,'82,'84
Belski
> L8SHOW22 wrote:
>
> > VK bus killed a motorcyclist on an off ramp in the late 70s-early 80s.
>
What? Where'd you get this?
Bugleboy51
I seem to remember that Garfield was involved in a vehicle accident that
took the life of a little girl. That's all I know; I don't know when or
where it happened.
Any help out there?
Don
Martha Leeson
Yes, unfortunately I do remember. It was right before finals week in 87.
Very tragic.
Martha Leeson
FStegall
<<I seem to remember that Garfield was involved in a vehicle accident that
took the life of a little girl. That's all I know; I don't know when or
where it happened.>>
It was August of 87 in Stillwater, MN - not sure of all the details, but
it was a traffic accident in town that killed a young girl, and caused
Garfield to roll their equipment truck. My understanding is that the
truck was trying to dodge a car that ran a red light.
I was driving the Florida Wave semi on that tour, and came upon the
accident moments after it happened. After unloading our kids and
equipment, I brought our semi, along with Madison Scouts semi back up to
the accident site and helped Garfield get their equipment to the show.
Nikk Pilato
FStegall <fste...@aol.com> wrote:
> I was driving the Florida Wave semi on that tour, and came upon the
> accident moments after it happened. After unloading our kids and
> equipment, I brought our semi, along with Madison Scouts semi back up to
> the accident site and helped Garfield get their equipment to the show.
One of the reasons why corps is great is because of co-operation
like this, not because of G bugles, color presentations, or symmetrical drill.
Nikk
Still waiting for my autographed Maynard pic.....