BUCKCHERRY's STEVIE D. Opens Up About Deadly South Carolina Crash Involving Band's Tour Bus

In a new interview with Laughing Monkey With Shawn Ratches, BUCKCHERRY guitarist Stevie Dacanay (a.k.a. Stevie D.) spoke about the multi-vehicle accident that BUCKCHERRY's tour bus was involved in on August 21. According to a post on the band's social media at the time, one person had died in the multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 26 in Spartanburg County. The band said all members of the touring crew and group were "safe and unharmed," and they shared their condolences with the family and friends of the person who died in the crash.

Stevie told Laughing Monkey With Shawn Ratches (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I haven't really even talked about it with anybody outside the band. But, yeah, there was an accident just outside of... We were coming out of a show in South Carolina, and there was an accident right bef[ore]… We were all all coming over a hill. And there was a drunk guy that pulled over. He was half in the shoulder, half in the right lane, opened his door, walked out of his car, and the first car hit him. And then he flew into the left lane, and then we came over the hill, took off his door and then the door went into oncoming traffic and caused a pile-up over there, and then we hit the guy after that. Then several cars — I think five or six more cars — came over the hill after us, and there was a pile-up after us. So there was quite a mess. After we pulled over, a drum tech ran about a quarter of a mile down to see what had happened and saw the aftermath. And our bus was not drivable after that. There was gas, there was diesel and transmission fluid and brake fluid on the highway, and then they closed it all down because the guy had passed. And so we were all there on the highway till about 8:00 a.m. And it happened around 2:00 a.m. But that was that in a nutshell."

Stevie also weighed in on the media reports that were published about the accident which suggested that BUCKCHERRY's involvement in the crash was more significant than it actually was. He said: "I saw that there was a bunch of press after that… I guess what a lot of outlets do is kind of spin it in a way where people will click on it. And it looked like somebody in our camp had died... I don't know. There was just a bunch of... It was just a weird spin on things. And then there was even… I saw podcasts about the accident, that they were speculating things, and it was just really silly. So, I just stayed out of the whole thing. It was a traumatic kind of thing… I even saw a story — it was on YouTube. It came up in my feed. I, just like everyone else, clicked on it, and it was all this footage of crashes that weren't even our accident. And they were horrifying. And then peppered with pictures of us. So, I don't know. It is what it is. It's over. And I hope that guy is in a — he's obviously in a better place now."

According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, a Toyota Sedan was traveling east on Interstate 26 at mile marker 31 on August 21 when it struck a pedestrian on the road. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Troopers added the pedestrian was a driver of a single-vehicle crash that had occurred in the area, and had exited the vehicle before being struck. All lanes reopened around 10:30 a.m. that same day.

BUCKCHERRY is continuing to tour in support of its latest effort, "Roar Like Thunder", which was released in June 2025, via Round Hill Records in North America, Sony Music in Japan and Earache Records elsewhere globally. As with 2023's "Vol. 10" and 2021's "Hellbound", "Roar Like Thunder" was recorded in Nashville at Sienna Studios and helmed by producer and songwriter-for-hire Marti Frederiksen, who has previously collaborated with AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow, among many others. All 10 tracks were written by BUCKCHERRY vocalist Josh Todd, Dacanay and Frederiksen.

Todd remains the only original member in BUCKCHERRY's current lineup, which also includes Dacanay (guitar, backing vocals),Billy Rowe (guitar, backing vocals),Kelly LeMieux (bass) and Francis Ruiz (drums).

Dacanay has been a defining force in BUCKCHERRY since joining the band during its 2005 revival. After BUCKCHERRY's brief hiatus in the early 2000s, the reformed lineup, led by Stevie and Josh, breathed new life into the band's hard rock roots. Stevie's guitar work helped shape BUCKCHERRY's comeback album "15", which launched hits like "Crazy Bitch" and "Sorry", and re-established the group as a mainstay in the modern rock world.