Police are investigating the 'accidental fatality' that killed a 23-year-old pedestrian
Massachusetts-bred Celtic punk veterans the Dropkick Murphys were involved in a fatal road incident in Texas at the weekend when their tour bus hit and killed a pedestrian on a busy highway outside of Austin.
According to reports, the band were on their way from San Antonio to Dallas Airport following a gig the previous evening when the incident occurred. Heightening the tragedy, they had been travelling to the airport to drop off band member Al Barr, who only a day before had detailed the unexpected passing of one of his childhood friends.
"We were involved in a tragic and fatal accident when a pedestrian suddenly ran onto the highway in front of our tour bus," the band posted to Facebook in the wake of the accident. "We were left with a driver that has been severely shaken up by the accident and a bus too damaged to continue on to [next destination] Tulsa."
"As much as it pains us to miss a show and we truly apologize for it, we'd like to stop and acknowledge that a man has lost his life," the band continued. "Please keep him and any family he might have in your prayers."
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The victim has since been identified by Texan police as 23-year-old Dalton Lane Clark. The driver of the bus has not been charged, and authorities are investigating Clark's death as an "accidental fatality", The Boston Globe reports.
Clark's family have also responded to their loss, releasing a statement to The Globe that not only expressed their grief but extended their sympathies to the members of the Dropkick Murphys and their crew.
"Dalton was loved and he loved back wholeheartedly and had a zest for life and family," the family wrote. "In our loss, our sympathies go out to The Dropkick Murphys Band Members & Bus Driver involved. We would like to thank them for recognizing that a loss of life did happen, that our family is grieving, and we commend the way the band & driver handled this loss."
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to aid with funereal costs and supporting Clark's fiancee, Danielle Phillips, and 19-month-old son; the band has since donated the full target amount of $25,000 to the family's fund.