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| Driver charged after Baroness coach crash | Driver charged after Baroness coach crash |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The driver of a coach that plunged 30ft (9m) from a viaduct near Bath is to be charged with dangerous driving. | The driver of a coach that plunged 30ft (9m) from a viaduct near Bath is to be charged with dangerous driving. |
| Norman Markus was driving the band Baroness in the coach after a Bristol gig at the time of the crash in August. | Norman Markus was driving the band Baroness in the coach after a Bristol gig at the time of the crash in August. |
| Several members of the US band were seriously injured in the crash with one suffering a broken arm and leg. | |
| German national Mr Markus has also been charged with using a vehicle with defective brakes and breaching a 7.5 tonne weight limit. | |
| In total, nine people were on board the coach when it crashed at Brassknocker Hill, Monkton Combe. | |
| Andrew Walters of the Crown Prosecution Service said it had been a "very complicated investigation" in partnership with Avon and Somerset Police. | |
| Gigs cancelled | |
| Mr Markus is also facing charges of insufficient daily and weekly rest periods and using a vehicle in a condition likely to cause danger of injury. | |
| He has also been charged with not having the correct licence entitlement to drive the coach involved in the crash. | |
| He is due to appear before Bath Magistrates' Court on 5 April. | |
| The band injured in the crash - Baroness - hail from Savannah, Georgia, and formed in 2003. | |
| One band member, John Baizley, underwent eight hours of surgery at Bath's Royal United Hospital to rebuild his left arm. | |
| Surgeons used two titanium plates, 20 screws and 1.5ft (45cm) of wire to save his arm. | |
| Drummer Allen Blickle and bass player Matt Maggioni both suffered fractured vertebrae in the crash, while vocalist Pete Adams received minor injuries. | |
| Following the crash they received messages of support from people such as rock star Alice Cooper. | |
| The band cancelled all its remaining 2012 gigs following the crash. | |
| But in December the band announced they were to return to making music after physical therapy described as a "pain and struggle". |