Atlanta police said that Mastodon co-founder Brent Hinds, 51, was at fault in the motorcycle crash that took his life on the night of Aug. 20. According to Atlanta New First, the details are in contrast to the initial findings in the investigation that put the fault on the 22-year-old driver of the BMW SUV that Hinds crashed into for allegedly failing to yield at an intersection.
The updated police report on the incident involving the former Mastodon guitarist said that, “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.”
Hinds’ speed at the time of the deadly accident was reportedly twice the speed limit at the crash site, with two eyewitnesses telling the police that the guitarist was “driving fast.” The report also included what appeared to be seemingly conflicting statements from the SUV driver and one of the witnesses, which make it unclear if the driver had the green light when she made a left turn.
Police said the driver was “positive” that the light was green, though the witness countered that the light was red “when he looked at the light when everything happened.”
According to the police report, Hinds was “breathing and moving” after the accident, which left him with “visible injuries” to his arms, head and torso; the SUV driver was taken to the same hospital as Hinds with injuries to her arms and head.
Hinds co-founded Mastodon in 2000 and left the group in March after they said they’d mutually decided to part ways. The guitarist later changed his tune, though, saying he was “kicked out” of the group in a scorched earth post just before his death in which he savaged his former bandmates for what he said was their off-key singing and alleged arrogance. “F–k these guys,” Hinds wrote. “Only I know who they really are. They are the biggest fans of them self’s [sic]. I’ve never seen anyone in my life look in the mirror more than [bassist/singer] Troy Sanders. He thinks he’s God’s gift to anything. I’ve never met three people that were so full of themselves. It’s disgusting.”