What initially sounded like one horrific accident involving Buckcherry's tour bus has turned into a much more complicated-and tragic-story.
The rock band's tour bus was caught up in a deadly highway nightmare on Interstate 26 in South Carolina early Friday morning, but authorities are now revealing that the terrifying incident actually unfolded through three separate crashes, one after another.
Thankfully, every member of Buckcherry and their touring crew escaped unharmed.
But another person tragically lost his life.
According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the chaos began when a male driver was involved in a single-vehicle crash on I-26 in Spartanburg County. Investigators have not yet determined what caused that initial wreck.
Things then took a devastating turn.
After the man exited his vehicle and entered the roadway, he was struck by a Toyota sedan and pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have said the driver of the Toyota was not arrested, while the circumstances remain under investigation.
Then came yet another collision.
Police told TMZ that Buckcherry's tour bus subsequently became involved in a five-vehicle crash, making it the third separate accident in the frightening chain of events. Some people reportedly suffered minor injuries, although no one required transportation to a hospital.
The new details are significant because early headlines could easily have left fans with the impression that Buckcherry's bus was directly involved in the collision that killed the victim.
Authorities' latest account paints a very different picture: the fatal pedestrian collision happened before the later crash involving the band's bus.
Buckcherry quickly reassured worried fans that everyone traveling with the band was safe.
"We are extremely grateful to report that all members of Buckcherry and our touring crew are safe and unharmed," the group said, while offering its "deepest condolences" to the victim's family.
The accident occurred around 2 a.m. Friday, August 21, near mile marker 31 on I-26. The band was traveling during its ongoing Roar Like Thunder Tour, supporting its 2025 album of the same name.
And despite everything that happened on the highway, the show went on.
Buckcherry proceeded with its scheduled Saturday performance at the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the band's tour is continuing.
For frontman Josh Todd and bandmates Stevie Dacanay, Billy Rowe, Kelly LeMieux and Francis Ruiz, it was undoubtedly one frightening night on the road.
But the latest police account makes one point particularly important: while Buckcherry's tour bus became tangled in the horrifying aftermath, authorities have not said the band's bus struck and killed the victim.
One highway. Three crashes. Five vehicles in the final collision. And tragically, one life lost.
Now investigators are working to determine exactly how the frightening sequence unfolded.
