Ghost Inside frontman broke back, neck and ankles in bus smash

The Ghost Inside frontman Jonathan Vigil has given an update on his condition, after his band and crew were involved in a bus crash that killed two people on November 19 in El Paso, Texas.

Vigil details his injuries and treatments on Instagram – which include a fractured back and neck, two broken ankles, ligament damage to his knee, a broken tooth and a wound on his back. He also had to have a skin graft on his right elbow.

He adds: “I’m here, world. Thank you and glad I’m alive.”

Tour bus driver Greg Hoke died in the collision, along with the driver of the other vehicle involved, Steven Cunningham.

Drummer Andrew Tkaczykt and guitarist Zach Johnson were also in critical condition after they and Vigil were airlifted from the scene to the University Medical Center.

But the trio seem to be on the mend – Johnson tweeted a photo of his arm on January 11, expressing hopes that his eighth operation would be the last. In December, he admitted he’d endured 26 hours of surgery to his feet, legs and hips.

Last week, drummer Tkaczykt uploaded a photo of the view from his hospital room window to Instagram, adding: “Not exactly the most breathtaking view of all time, but it’s nice to look outside and remember what life is like after being in the hospital for 50 days. Staying strong. Hanging in there. Remain focused.”

The rock community rallied in support of The Ghost Inside in the wake of the accident, with You Me At Six frontman Josh Franceschi organising a benefit show in London Underworld last month with Your Demise and Deaf Havana.

The band’s label Epitaph Records also announced they’d donate all proceeds from The Ghost Inside record sales directly to the band. GoFundMe campaigns were set up on November 19 to help pay for Hoke’s funeral and the band’s medical expenses. The Ghost Inside fund has so far raised more than $150,000.

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Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.