A new police report has been released concerning the tragic death of Mastodon co-founder Brent Hinds, which states that the guitarist was at fault in the motorcycle crash that took his life on August 20.
Preliminary reports suggested that the driver of an SUV failed to yield while making a left turn at the intersection of Memorial Drive SE and Boulevard SE, consequently colliding with Hinds.
However, according to the newly released crash report, the investigators also found that Hinds was speeding – going between 63 and 68 mph, roughly twice the speed limit at the crash site.
“After conducting time distance calculations of the Motorcycle and assessing the changes in velocity of the BMW it was deemed that Hinds was traveling between 63 and 68 mph. Video of the intersection was used for the calculations. The video clearly depicts the crash. Hinds was at fault for the crash,” reads the investigator's statement.
The same report also includes what appears to be conflicting statements by one of the witnesses and the driver of the SUV. The driver asserts that “she was positive the light was green” when she made the left turn, while one of the witnesses told the police that it was red “when he looked to the light when everything happened.”
Brent was “breathing and moving with visible injuries to his head, arms, and torso” when the police arrived, ultimately “perishing from his injuries” at the hospital.
This past weekend, a memorial walk was held in Atlanta in honor of Hinds, with longtime Mastodon bandmates Bill Kelliher – who shared his own personal tribute to Hinds – and Brann Dailor among those who gathered to celebrate the life of the influential guitarist.
The band also honored Hinds onstage at their first live performance since his death.
