Members of heavy metal band killed in Ga. wreck

Blayne Alexander | WXIA-TV, Atlanta

Show Caption Hide Caption Members of heavy metal band die in crash Three members of the heavy metal band 'Wormreich' died after their van driver lost control and crashed into a tree.

COMMERCE, Ga. — At least three people were killed Monday in a single-vehicle accident on Interstate 85 about 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, authorities said.

At least eight others were injured, two critically, said Cpl. Scott Smith of the Georgia State Patrol. The victims were among 12 people riding in a 15-passenger van that was towing a trailer.

Three men were ejected immediately and died at the scene, Smith said.

Among those in the van were members of the heavy metal bands Wormreich of Huntsville, Ala., and Khaotika of Atlanta, who were heading to Atlanta for a Monday night show after finishing a Sunday show in Spartanburg, S.C. Members of another band scheduled for the same show, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Kult ov Azazel, said on their Facebook page that the Monday show was being canceled. The final date of the tour appeared to be the Atlanta show.

"The van carrying Wormreich and Khaotika was in a horrible accident this morning," the post said. "We cannot go into details due to respect to the families of the involved."

It was unclear whether members of both Wormreich and Khaotika were killed.

The van's driver "apparently fell asleep and allowed the vehicle to leave the roadway, at which time the vehicle struck a tree on the passenger side," Smith said.

The van apparently ran off the southbound lanes of I-85 about 7 a.m. ET, rolled down an embankment and sideswiped a tree near the Georgia 98 exit, a key route between the Carolinas and Georgia. The van's driver was not injured.

Georgia State Patrol identified the dead as 25-year-old Nicholas R. Crisostomo, of Round Hill, Va.; 30-year-old Ian McKinney, of Madison, Tenn.; and 29-year-old Paul Truesdell, of Mableton, Ga.

Five people were transported to Athens Regional Medical Center. They were identified by Georgia State Patrol as 31-year-old Matthew Shaner, of Silver Spring, Md.; 19-year-old Jasmine Zarinebaf, of Naperville, Ill.; 44-year-old Kamilla Hayes, of Norcross, Ga.; 49-year-old Batricia Shoemaker, of Jonesboro, Ga.; and 45-year-old Christopher Pezzano, of Toney, Ala.

Three people were taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center. They were identified as 49-year-old Christopher Pyle, of Owensboro, Ky.; 25-year-old James Berile, of Leesburg, Va.; and 53-year-old Stephen Shoemaker, of Jonesboro, Ga.

Band member remembered Paul Truesdell is remembered by co-workers from another job

Two of those taken to the hospital remain in critical condition.

The driver of the van was 27-year-old Sergio Quesada, of Athens, Ga., according to the Georgia State Patrol.

Band members are from Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia, Smith said. The fatal wreck remains under investigation, and charges are pending.