ajedrummer Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I was sitting in the middle of the porch when it collapsed. I had just watched Mr. Jones go back into the house as the deck went down. The entire situation took about 10 seconds before we had managed to lift the remains off of the people underneath. I seem to remember a snare drummer, Eric Fernilius and a couple of colorguard were lucky enough to get out fairly unscathed, but, a keyboard player sitting right next to me had her face badly cut. The ambulances and fire trucks took forever to get to the address because they kept getting lost. I still remember how everyone was extremely focused at the next day's rehearsal. This truely made this corps what it became through the rest of the season. I had forgotten that Eric was under it, but you are right about that. I know one of the Emmons girls (Kathy?) injured her back pretty badly and I don't remember if she marched at all the rest of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckdan Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I had forgotten that Eric was under it, but you are right about that. I know one of the Emmons girls (Kathy?) injured her back pretty badly and I don't remember if she marched at all the rest of the season. I think it was Marcia Emmons. There were so many from the Emmons family who marched I may be wrong. I also remember that Mr. Jones had just stepped back into the house when the porch went down. The worst part of the first few seconds was that stupid little dog that was on the porch just screaming its' lungs out for about 2-3 minutes. I seem to remember that Marcia did march later in the season and was with us for finals. Those under the porch were very lucky that they were next to that cast iron table. They survived, but, the table didn't! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajedrummer Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I think it was Marcia Emmons. There were so many from the Emmons family who marched I may be wrong. I also remember that Mr. Jones had just stepped back into the house when the porch went down. The worst part of the first few seconds was that stupid little dog that was on the porch just screaming its' lungs out for about 2-3 minutes. I seem to remember that Marcia did march later in the season and was with us for finals. Those under the porch were very lucky that they were next to that cast iron table. They survived, but, the table didn't! It was not Marcia (Marsha?), as she was guard captain and my seat partner on Yellow bus! It was her younger sister who was in the rifle line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noname Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I remember a Mandarins bus in '08 lost all power, including power steering. The bus driver did everything he could to keep the bus on the curving freeway (busses are very heavy). He did a great job preventing the crash. He was an absolutely amazing bus driver, who knew he was terminally ill and was probably going to die in a year. He hung out with us a lot. RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I thought of that possibility . . . and sadly, it is a possibility. We can dismiss it as, "Well, it's just drum corps." But when that attitude extends to more important matters, it is indeed quite scary. Hear, hear! Well, these guys got it correctly...proves it CAN be done http://www.kait8.com/story/14846289/dozens-injured-in-bus-crash?clienttype=printable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckdan Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 I remember a Mandarins bus in '08 lost all power, including power steering. The bus driver did everything he could to keep the bus on the curving freeway (busses are very heavy). He did a great job preventing the crash. He was an absolutely amazing bus driver, who knew he was terminally ill and was probably going to die in a year. He hung out with us a lot. RIP I remember one year with Troopers in the early '80s when one of our buses completely lost its brakes while coming off of an exit on I25 in Denver. The bus driver, Casey Smith a former drum major, was talking to Mr. Jones who was right behind him. We came roaring off the exit at about 70mph and missed the single car sitting at the stop light at the intersection. Casey just went right through the intersection and continued back onto the highway. I remember seeing the look of terror on the face of the driver in the tiny little Honda that was almost turned into mush. I cannot believe that there were not more serious accidents back in the day. The buses were held together with spit and duct tape and there was never enough of either to really make much of a difference. I saw a lot of the road in my drum corps days, litterally! One of our buses had a nice-sized hole in the floorboards and you could see directly the asphalt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 (edited) I remember one year with Troopers in the early '80s when one of our buses completely lost its brakes while coming off of an exit on I25 in Denver. The bus driver, Casey Smith a former drum major, was talking to Mr. Jones who was right behind him. We came roaring off the exit at about 70mph and missed the single car sitting at the stop light at the intersection. Casey just went right through the intersection and continued back onto the highway. I remember seeing the look of terror on the face of the driver in the tiny little Honda that was almost turned into mush. I cannot believe that there were not more serious accidents back in the day. The buses were held together with spit and duct tape and there was never enough of either to really make much of a difference. I saw a lot of the road in my drum corps days, litterally! One of our buses had a nice-sized hole in the floorboards and you could see directly the asphalt. I know what you mean. We were going in a steep decline one time and the driver lost his brake pressure. I was sitting in one of the front seats and we were going like a bat out of hell. When we got to the bottom there were only three options. Hard left, hard right or straight into the river. The driver chose to swing a right and we wound up rounding the corner on two wheels holding our butts with both hands. Edited June 10, 2011 by Piper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruag8tr2 Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 WOW- So glad everyone is going to be OK. I got that pit in my stomach when I saw this thread. Bus crashes more often result in terrible tragedy for the occupants. Going along with the sentiments of MS Bus Driver, I can definitely say that this driver did an awesome job. Having driven a bus for a drum corps I can definitely say that driving the bus was the most responsibility I have ever shouldered. Getting on the bus I would always say a short prayer and remind myself of how many lives were resting on my driving skills and alertness. Thankfully, I never had any incidents. But I would always be playing scenarios in my head as to how I would react should something unexpected (loss of brakes..)occur while driving. Also, I would never (and I mean never) allow anyone's failure to launch on time affect what I felt to be a safe speed. I pray that there are no more incidents but more importantly, hope that the charter companies do their diligence in keeping their equipment and drivers fresh for the long season. good luck to all corps this year. A thread like this really makes one forget about the petty differences that are bantered on this board. D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma24le Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Excellent news...the driver involved in the accident will be returning to the driver's seat and helping the Troopers continue down the road this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daave Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 It's been a week. Any injury/health updates for these kids? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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