The members of The Cult, currently on tour in Europe, experienced a terrifying crash just before 6:00AM local time earlier this week while in their tour bus traveling from Split, Croatia to Ljubijana, Slovenia.

"I was the only one awake," said the band's vocalist Ian Astbury, who was seated in the bus's front lounge. "All of a sudden, the bus veered violently, hit the guard rail and tipped on a 45-degree angle, then righted itself and came to a halt. The guard rail was the only thing that prevented us from going over an 80-foot drop."

Astbury was thrown into the aisle and suffered injuries to his neck, back and shoulder. The rest of the band and crew were asleep in their bunks, so no one else was badly hurt.

Limping down the highway, the driver was able to get the bus to a service station a few miles up the road. Astbury's injuries were iced and he received pain medication. After some temporary patching up of the bus, the band was able to make it to the venue for that night's show, and played a full concert. But it wasn't until 5:00AM the next morning that their fully-repaired bus arrived to take them on the 20+ hour trip to the next gig.

"No one has had any sleep, so the guys are pretty beat, and we are still in shock, to be honest," admitted Astbury. "You never think something like this is going to happen to you, and it just did."

The Cult - Astbury, guitarist Billy Duffy, bassist Chris Wyse and drummer John Tempesta - are on tour to support their new release, Choice of Weapon, hailed as the band's best work in 20 years.