Equipment gets hit by a car.

[Bobby]

Thank God today I can laugh about this. Sunday I did a gig at an outside Tiki bar. We had a sub musician so I was carrying more of the PA than I normally do. So in this case, my rock and roller cart had mainly PA gear on it. Specifically, 2 15" full range cabs, a small rack with a power amp, EQ and effects unit, and a 16 channel board. So I'm at my truck with my wife, our male lead singer and soundman. The four of us were loading the drums in first. And the R&R cart is right behind us with the said PA gear on it. All of a sudden I hear this crash. I mean LOUD. Some IDIOT backed her car into the R&R cart, dumping its contents onto the pavement. As you can imagine I let out a few choice words and basically NUKED the driver. The soundman, my wife and singer calmed me down and I began talking to the driver. Her "excuse" was that my cart was below the line of sight of her rearview mirror. So much for me being calm. I SCREAMED "well I guess it's better it was 3K worth of PA gear rather than a baby stroller which also would be under your line of sight!" I asked her for her insurance info and she has the nerve to ask for mine! Uh lady, you gotta be kidding YOU HIT a stationary object. Would you ask a TREE for it's insurance info if you hit it? (Yes, I said that..lol). I got her info, she didnt get mine. I kinda felt bad after she almost in tears. I tested the PA equipment yesterday, no harm (thank God for good cases). I called her and told her all was fine. Just when I think I've seen everything in this business, something new happens. Amazing.

 

[PureRockFury]

Some people are just scatter brains. It happens. You don't always see everything around you when in a vehicle. I find my vehicle has great lines of sight, but there are times I just don't see things.

I would have been fuming too, no doubt about it, but I think I would have not almost had the women in tears. Maybe I'm just too sympathetic. If there were anything wrong with the equipment, her insurance would have covered it. No big deal there.

Did you apologize for your nuclear approach?

Just remember, it can always happen to you. That karma thing SUCKS! lol

 

[Bobby]

I did apologize. I also called to her to let her know the equipment was ok. My immediate thought was the stuff was toast, hence my "nuclear reaction"

 

[Vipercussionist]

Thank God today I can laugh about this. Sunday I did a gig at an outside Tiki bar. We had a sub musician so I was carrying more of the PA than I normally do. So in this case, my rock and roller cart had mainly PA gear on it. Specifically, 2 15" full range cabs, a small rack with a power amp, EQ and effects unit, and a 16 channel board. So I'm at my truck with my wife, our male lead singer and soundman. The four of us were loading the drums in first. And the R&R cart is right behind us with the said PA gear on it. All of a sudden I hear this crash. I mean LOUD. Some IDIOT backed her car into the R&R cart, dumping its contents onto the pavement. As you can imagine I let out a few choice words and basically NUKED the driver. The soundman, my wife and singer calmed me down and I began talking to the driver. Her "excuse" was that my cart was below the line of sight of her rearview mirror. So much for me being calm. I SCREAMED "well I guess it's better it was 3K worth of PA gear rather than a baby stroller which also would be under your line of sight!" I asked her for her insurance info and she has the nerve to ask for mine! Uh lady, you gotta be kidding YOU HIT a stationary object. Would you ask a TREE for it's insurance info if you hit it? (Yes, I said that..lol). I got her info, she didnt get mine. I kinda felt bad after she almost in tears. I tested the PA equipment yesterday, no harm (thank God for good cases). I called her and told her all was fine. Just when I think I've seen everything in this business, something new happens. Amazing.

I've loaded equipment in and out of some really precarious setups, having to double park and what have you.

If I take my personal vehicle on a pick up gig, along with my drums, I also carry a orange cone, a pretty big one too, it also has a strip of reflective tape on it for night time. I'll set it up a bit back to hopefully ward off drivers that aren't paying particular attention to their driving or to my unloading.

It's sometimes pretty scary.

The main band we're in carries all the gear including my kit in a van. We had a guy take his mirror off on the rear door of the van while we were unloading it. (yeah, THAT'S close!!) The mirror dropped in the road right next to my feet. Bent up the door a bit too, but the mirror was plastic so it didn't do TOO much damage.
Funny thing was, he kept right on going . . . with no right side mirror. It made a HELL of a noise, I KNOW he heard it.

I often wonder if he was cocked. Another few inches and he would have hit the van dead on, with my bass player in the back and me standing right behind it at the door. I shudder to think of it.

 

[DrumBob]

I was in a band once and the guitarist, like the dope that he was, left his guitar in its case, in the middle of the parking lot while he talked to some bimbo in her car. A drunk ran over the case. He went running over
and luckily, while the case was totaled, the guitar was OK. He extracted about $50 from the guy for the case and let him go. Some people are just idiots.

 

[jrfrond]

Holy sh*t Bobby, are you OK???

 

[AgDrumma07]

Unless she's driving a freakin diesel truck or monster SUV, there's no way she could have missed that cart backing straight up.

Maybe it was dark

 

[poot]

Bobby,

Glad both you and the gear are OK. Don't sweat your reaction. To me that is the classic New York method of dealing with things. (And I don't ever want to cross a New Yorker!)

Our bassist had a close call while loading out from a gig. He had opened the rear passenger door of his car and reached inside. A car - no doubt piloted by a drunk, whom we'd likely just entertained - whipped around a corner, collided with the open door, and pushed the door inwards, mildly pinning Kerry's leg. Kerry was extremely fortunate to walk away with only minor bruises. He could have been seriously injured or killed.

And of course the driver sped away, totally unaware of what he had done. Whenever we play that club, we now drive right up on the sidewalk to load in/out.

 

[Bobby]

Hey JR,

Yep, I'm fine. She just hit my stuff. It was a wide open parking lot, how she hit it, is anyones guess.

Viper, now you have me thinking about buying an orange cone...lol

Poot, I'm actually a pretty mellow cat for a NY Italian. Now and then my Sicilian comes out (it came out a little that day) Though when she hit the stuff my lead singer said I looked and sounded like Joe Pesci (I'm about his size..maybe a tad taller). I couldnt tell if that was an insult or a compliment..lol.

Coulda been alot worse, she could have hit my Tempus

 

[gutenberg]

claim that the equipment got whiplash and sue her....

 

[motorhead]

If I remember correctly,Clarence White of The Byrds was killed by a drunk driver while loading equipment after a gig.You're a lucky man Bobby.