13 band members, driver hurt in I-85 crash

There are new developments in a crash that shut down Interstate 85 for hours Friday.

Popular party band Party on the Moon was on their way to a show in North Carolina when their driver suffered a medical emergency and crashed their bus. Channel 2's Ashley Swann spoke with fans at the Cobb Galleria Centre, where the band was set to perform at a private event Saturday night.

"They're just very entertaining," Dan Mehrkens said. "We're really looking forward to seeing them."

Mehrkens said seeing the band perform live is one of the highlights of the annual Atlanta Shoe Market.

"That's really the only reason I was going to go was to see them. They're great," Mehrkens said.

But Party on the Moon's performance is now up in the air, after a crash involving their tour bus Friday morning that shut down I-85 northbound in Jackson County for hours.

The Atlanta-based band was on the way to a gig in Winston-Salem when members told Channel 2 Action News their driver appeared to have a heart attack and slump over the wheel. A muddy track shows where the tour bus rolled down an embankment and crashed into a ravine with 13 members on board.

The band's website stated they're the country's No. 1 band for corporate events, and that they even played for President Barack Obama's inauguration.

Members took to Facebook Friday to say they're going to be OK and thank fans for their support and prayers. The band is anxiously awaiting word of their driver's condition, who remains in an area hospital. As for their show Saturday, band members say they have another band on standby in the event they can't perform.

"I hope they're OK and I hope they're going to recover and be back for us next fall," Mehrkens said. "It'd be hard to replace them because everyone looks forward to them. They're just awesome."

WSBTV