Okanagan band Uptown Hornz plays on after Alberta crash

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Eight Okanagan musicians, members of the Uptown Hornz, are lucky to be alive after a horrific crash on the QE 2 Highway outside Innisfail, Alta.

Their rental van rolled after it was clipped by a vehicle apparently trying to evade police last week.

Band leader Mike Schell picks up the story.

"There was a police chase going on, and the cops decided to let up on the chase," Schell says.

"The guy then decided to pass us on the right hand side of the shoulder, and that's when he hit the back of our trailer on the right, which was full of our gear and luggage.

"Once he hit, the trailer jackknifed and flipped the van. We did a full 180, came into the ditch and slid. When all was said and done, the van was on its side and the trailer was still up but our stuff was thrown everywhere, about 200 metres down the highway."

He says the vehicle that clipped them was apparently stolen.

Schell said police and ambulance personnel were on the scene right away.

Everyone inside the van was checked out at the scene. Everyone is still sore, but Schell says that's the extent of it.

They were getting ready to tour Alberta with the Dean Z "One Night With You" Elvis Tribute Show. But, instead of cancelling, the band forged on and didn't miss a show.

Schell reached out on social media for some equipment to continue the show after losing everything in the crash.

He said an Edmonton company came to their rescue.

"Now, we're dealing with ICBC because everything we had was rentals. Rental van, rental trailer."