Memphis Belle Survives Road Accident
Memphis Belle had been on tour with The Extreme Tour for some dates, and had just finished TomFest. They were leaving for home a bit early - on Saturday, August 6 - so they could be home for a friend's wedding on Sunday afternoon.
Daniel (21), Edwin (24), and J.R. (19) had been talking about giving Tim (16) some experience driving the Aerostar van with the trailer attached that had their gear. They had mentioned possibly having him drive on Interstate 5 in California after they got past Redding. The road is flat and straight from there all the way to Los Angeles. Instead, they decided to give Tim a turn at driving while they were still in Oregon.
They were in Southern Oregon when they decided to let Tim take the wheel. It was evening time - around 5:00 p.m. or so. J.R. went to sleep in the rear seat, while Edwin went to sleep in the middle seat. Daniel was up front with Tim. While they were approaching Canyonville, the rear tire on the driver's side suddenly blew out. Daniel and Tim both saw pieces of tire tread flying out from the car in their rear view mirrors. Tim slowed down and was starting to pull over to the side when the trailer suddenly "fish-tailed" on him. He tried to maintain control, but could not. The van suddenly jerked to the right, and they ran right off of Interstate 5 onto the shoulder and slammed into an embankment. The van went up the embankment, tipped over, rolled over completely two times, and came to rest on it's side. The trailer also went up the embankment, snapping the trailer hitch cleanly in two at the same time, moved ahead of the van, rolled over, and came to rest in an upright postion in front of the van.
Tim, Daniel, and J.R. had their seat belts on. Edwin did not. While the van was slamming into the embankment and rolling, Edwin went flying out of his seat, slammed partially into J.R. in the back seat, and went partially through the rear window of the van. The van actually rolled on to Edwin's head while he was hanging out the window. The van bounced up once before coming to rest on the pavement again, and during that time Edwin somehow was able to pull himself partially back into the van so that the van would not hit his head again. Still, he was pinned under the van, was bleeding all over the place, and was in excruciating pain. Obviously, he was screaming.
Tim, Daniel, and J.R. somehow managed to free themselves from their seatbelts and climb out of the van, which was resting on it's side in the right lane of Interstate 5. They immediately grabbed the van and tried to pick it up so that Edwin could be freed, but they were unable to do so. While they are doing this, there is blood flowing out from under the van where Edwin is.
Two friends of the band, Sara Burt and Jessie (not sure of her last name) had driven up to TomFest to see Memphis Belle and Dizmas. Jessie is the girlfriend of Nick Aranda (bass player) in Dizmas. Sara had helped Memphis Belle book a few shows. Anyway, Sara and Jessie had left to go back home to Lancaster about the same time as Memphis Belle, but neither party knew about the other's plan. Sara and Jessie just happened to be about two to three minutes behind the guys on Interstate 5. They drove around the bend on the freeway where the accident occured, and came upon the scene. They immediately recognized the van and trailer, and pulled over to help. Sara was very shook up and stayed in the car. Jessie got out and tried to help the guys lift the van up off of Edwin.
Interstate 5 is a busy freeway, and there were several motorists who pulled over immediately to help out when they saw the accident scene. Someone called 911. Several others rushed to the van and helped the guys (and Jessie) pick up the van and get Edwin out from under it. One of the initial cars that stopped was a couple from Colorado who were on vacation. The husband was in law enforcement, and the wife was a registered nurse. She immediately began to administer first aid to Edwin, while her husband directed traffic. Some of the motorists had flares and put them out on the freeway.
The emergency medical personnel arrived in about ten minutes time and took Daniel and Edwin to Mercy Medical center in Roseburg - about twenty minutes North of the accident scene. Just before they left, Daniel called me on his cell phone. Linda (my wife) and I had just stopped for dinner about thirty minutes North of where the accident took place. We had not arranged our departure for home in synch with the guys. We just happened to be that close. The waitress had just served our meal when I got the call. We went to the cashier, told her what happened, and paid the bill. The waitresses packed up our meal very quickly for us, gave it to us, and told us they would be praying for us.
When we got there, the Oregon State Police were there taking statements and writing up their report. Tim, J.R., Jessie, and Sara were attempting to pick up some of the band's stuff that had been strewn all over the side of the road. They had to wear plastic gloves because some of the stuff was covered in blood. Tim was obviously very shaken, and in a slight state of shock. Linda and I hugged him and tried to reassure him.
Sometime during all the confusion, Sara and/or Jessie had called Dizmas. They were up in Albany - about two hours North of the accident. They had just finished their set. They quickly packed up everything and headed for the hospital where Daniel and Edwin were.
Tim, Daniel, and J.R. only had minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises. They were checked out at the scene and were okay. Edwin had a huge gash where his right eyebrow was. Daniel said he could see the bone beneath the skin. He also had large cuts on his arms and hands. He was experiencing a lot of pain in his back as well.
The tow trucks showed up, and they were able to pull the van down onto it's wheels and haul it away, along with the trailer. Linda, Tim and I followed them to the yard where the van and trailer would be stored. We paid them and headed for the hospital. The girls had already left for the hospital.
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Comments
God was truely watching over you guys. What a miracle !!! We continue to pray for all of you. It's gonna be neat to sit back and watch how God uses this miracle to his glory and to show Memphis Belle his greatness and his love for them. I can't wait to see how he works in this.
Memphis Belle is the best. I'm so glad you guys are alright.
Praise God for watching out for everyone that day. God blesses us in different ways and has clearly shown Himself to us and all who read this article. I have and will continue to pray for you guys as you consider going back out. I love you and hope to catch up with you while you guys are home. Much love....
through all that less then two weeks later Edwin is talking about touring, getting back on the road. Now if that isent rock and roll i don't know what is......
Wow that's definitely an experience for so many people. I had seen "Belle" only a couple weeks before and to suddenly hear about this is schocking. I'm glad everyone made it out of there alive. God bless you guys.
you know how much i love all of you, and know how much God works for the good who love Him and been called according to His purpose, Love, Cathy E
you guys know how much i love and care for all of you..God has some work for you all to finish here. every day is a blessing... and remember God works for the good of those who love Him and been called according to His purpose.. you are in my prayers, cathy ewing
wow amazing im glad everythign turned out ok i will definantly be praying p.s. HM ROCKS :D
The blessing of amaizing faith, and being in the company of good friends, was the comfort needed in such a serious situation.
Damn that sucks!!! Are you alright? Explain how a Van rolls over your head, and you live to talk about it :0.
I had met the guys from both Memphis Belle and Dizmas for the first time at Tomfest. All great people. And I think I met one of the gals (going to Biola) at the motel that some of the bands were staying at. This is all a shock, but the outcome is a great Blessing. I had purchased Memphis Belle's CD at Tomfest, and enjoy it a lot - very interesting bluesy rock. I hope they will be in Spokane as part of the Extreme Tour Aug. 31.
Everybody should check out these two bands, and support them. The new Dizmas CD is awesome, especially cut 5 (Redemption/Passion).
Just want to let you all know that the guys from Memphis Belle are currently back out with the Extreme Tour. They are an incredible blessing, and their testimony is a tremendous inspiration for all of us. It is amazing that any band would even think about going on ANY tour after such an experience. But particualarly amazing that they would come back to one as chalenging as the Extreme Tour, a street level missions trip that everyone participates in on a vollunteer basis. I would understand completely if their involvement now was reserved or cautious.
I would not at all hold it against them if they were subdued or restrained. After all they have been through, one would perhaps even EXPECT it. You would imagine they would mostly be nursing their wounds, and putting in only a token effort.
But that has not been the case for these guys. Instead, they have been a joyous, exciting, high energy addition to our team.
Truly a refreshing contribution to an effort from a team, most of whom have been on the road with us since April 1st, and are worn out at times. These guys have been a rejuvenating agent for us, and I am excited to report they will be with us through the end of this year's extreme Tour, and they have already applied for all of next year's tour.
I know that God has great things in store for them as they continue to follow Him. What a blessing to have them with us right now !
TED BRUUN <><
oh my goodness!
i didnt even no!
...i hope your all ok!!
me and the fam, as well as the church are all praying!
i cant wait to see ya'll in bako!
dad says hello.
love, monique
o my goodness...i am sooo happy to hear that everything turned out so well from such a horrible accident..God truly blessed u guys tho, he was with u guys all the way. :)
be blessed...
~brianna
Daniel, glad to hear that you are doing fine. Keep your eyes on Him! Uncle Tom
The Extreme Tour Rocks!
Ted YOU Rock!
Dizmas Rocks!
Rick Mugrage Rocks!
Memphis Belle, you guys swing!
Ya Hoodia
