GATES OF SLUMBER JASON MCCASH CHEATS DEATH AT DUDEFEST

DECIBEL MAGAZINE has run a blog/column from JOHN MCCASH of GATES OF SLUMBER about a terrible car crash he gotten into at DUDEFEST. FROM DECIBEL: Gates of Slumber guest blogger Jason McCash cheats death at Dudefest

Posted July 23 by Jason McCash



This past weekend was Dudefest! On Saturday of Dudefest, that night in the city I found a pathway to the other world and I turned away from it.

My really good Friend Mike Hill’s band Tombs played the gig. Well they had some break/bearing issues on their van so when they got into town early that day, they dropped their gear off at the venue and then I took Mike and his van down to my brother’s house (who is an awesome mechanic) to work on their van while they do the gig.

Long story short, my brother hooked them up, I guess their front passenger wheel would have fallen off on their way back to NYC without the work.

Any rate, after Dudefest’s main show was over, there was an after show that ICE 9 played in Fountain Square (and if you don’t know who they are, well you are loosing out. One of the best powerviolence bands that has ever graced the earth). Well I hanged out with a lot of friends that night and my wife took Tombs back to my house so they could crash since they had a 12 hour drive back to NYC on Sunday. I should of left then but, no, I had to still have one night in the city!

So, around a quarter past three AM I decided to head home. I was about 40 minutes away from where I lived. Now to the photo.

On the way home I threw in Death Magnetic to stay awake, I started to get really heavy eyed. The yawns started to kick in and the blinks were getting longer and longer. Well, as fate has it, I happened to close my eyes for a second, then another second, and another second… wait for it… wait for it…

Then I heard a massive bang and felt an extreme pressure and jolt all over my body. I was probably going about 50 miles per hour and I rammed squared on into a parked flat bed 1980-esque dual axle work truck that was parked on the side of the road. As you can tell by the photo, my Honda lost the fight.

I was dazed; these four kids (18 or 19 years old) ran over to my van and one of them opened the door and said, and yes this is word for word what was said because I’ll never forget this for the rest of my days: "Man, are you Dead?!?" Of course I responded to let him know that I was still with the living. Then he helped me out. One of his bros said we need to all 911 for the man but the other one responded, fuck that, the police will come! HAHA. I was in an area of town where the locals weren’t too friendly with the police and vice versa. Plus, the Indiana Black Expo was going on the same night so there was already tensions in the air between the locals and the ones who are suppose to enforce the law but typically abuse it more than they enforce it.

Well back to the story, when I got out of the van, I started to wonder around in the street, still completely dazed so one of the guys took me by the arm and led me to the sidewalk so I wouldn’t get hit by a car, then he tried to hand me his cell phone so I could call 911 (my phone was in the cup holder and got thrown somewhere in the van during the collision) but when I reached for the phone I noticed that my hand was turned into a blood faucet. So, the dude called 911 himself and told them where the wreck was. Some time passed and the dudes stood by me to make sure I wasn’t going to collapse and asked me questions like, "Were you drunk, man? Where you on pills?" Stuff like that. Then when the cops showed up all four of them jetted into the dark of night.

Well with the sirens blowing and the lights flashing, the owner of the truck I hit came out to see what was going on and the first thing he said was, Is the driver of that van dead? The front end of my van was totally under the flat bed of his truck.

Well, cops made sure I wasn’t drunk (which I wasn’t) and took down all the info, called my wife to come get me and had the shit towed. I refused the ambulance ride to the hospital because that would have raped my bank account so I had my wife take me to the ER.

The end result: burns on both of my hands, bruised right wrist, a shit load of cuts on my right hand, massive soreness in my neck and shoulders and bruised/cracked ribs on my right side which still fuckin’ hurts 72 hours later like a mother fucker. But I walked away from the damned thing. I walked away.

The dudes that saw the wreck thought I was dead. The dude that came out of the house whose truck I hit thought I was dead. The Police said I should have died. The EMT said I should have died. But yet, here I am. Still kicking around.

So, all I can do is just give a thumbs up and count today and every other day in my life as a gift!

Well, that is about the extent of my Saturday night. How about yours?
Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-