Frenchy's Rant

Yesterday started out normally, like any other Pay Per View day on the WWE tour, but ended as far from normal as it could have.

The Pay Per View, Summerslam – live from The Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey – was completely sold out for months in advance, and was by any standard a good and entertaining show. I think we may have even finished a bit early, and had everything packed up by about midnight. Monday night’s show was in Boston, probably the most hated city and venue among bus drivers, because of the narrow streets, never-ending construction and constant road closures. With all these obstacles ahead, we figured we’d make it to the Boston Hyatt around 4 AM. The tour bus carrying the camera guys left first (as it always does.)

My bus left about a half hour later. Dwane, the camera bus driver called back to inform us that the George Washington Bridge had a four mile backup, and to take a different route. Our driver Herschel figured out a better way to go and we were on our way.

I had my usual post-show adult beverage, then made my way back to my bunk for some shut-eye. A while later, I felt the bus stop, which usually means it’s time to wake up, trudge into a hotel and then go back to sleep for a few more hours. Oh the glamor!

But we weren’t at the hotel, we were on the side of a highway. And there were flashing lights all around. It looked like at least two firetrucks, an ambulance and several police cars too. What the hell was going on?

“The camera bus crashed, and ended up in the woods, right over there.”

Up ahead from where we parked, illuminated by the flashing rescue vehicle lights, I could see the purple bus buried deep in the trees near the side of the road.

The word was the right front tire had blown out, and Dwane fought it until he lost control, went off the road and skidded into the trees where the bus finally stopped. As it ground to a stop, the bus completely sheared through a fourteen inch thick pine tree, as well as another tree nine inches around.

That sickening feeling hit me immediately.

“Is everyone OK?”

“We’re not sure. One ambulance just left.”

A pit developed in my stomach as we sat there, helpless. Firemen and paramedics were doing their job, and it seemed best to just stay out of their way. A few anxious minutes later Sid, our video engineer who rides that camera bus, came on our bus to tell us what happened.

“It basically felt like an amusement park ride. The whole bus was shaking and bouncing up and down. The only person that was seriously hurt was Luis, who was sleeping in the front seat (next to the driver) They found him unconscious under the steering wheel, and he was cut up and bleeding a bit. We’re all really lucky to still be here.”

Bubba Dean, another camera guy who was sitting on the couch behind the driver when it happened added, “It felt like I was a ping-pong ball. Up, down, over here, over there. It felt like ten minutes, thought it was probably about eight seconds. Then we were climbing through the front windshield and down a tree to get out, because the side door was blocked by trees. Surreal. A nightmare. There was definitely an angel with us.”

Luis went to the hospital, and thankfully seems to only be scraped up a bit. The guys that ride the camera bus will probably be a little sore for a few days, but considering other possible outcomes, I think being a little sore is perfectly fine.

The present thinking is that Dwane’s tire most likely picked up some debris from a car-truck accident that had happened about eight miles before his blowout. He did a fine job of keeping that bus upright. Other bus drivers were surprised the bus didn’t roll, as they often do when a front tire explodes.

And the show in Boston will go on – as will the tour – because all shows and all tours must. Fortunately for all of us the tour will still include Doug, Marty, Billy, the Randys, Luis, Rico, Paul, Denny, Stew, Sid, Bubba Dean and of course Dwane. It could have been MUCH worse.

Photos courtesy Randy Flick, who is just nuts enough to take out his camera and snap away right after his bus crashed. Bravo!