Luto \\ Former UNEARTH Bassist CHRIS 'ROVER' RYBICKI Dies

Former UNEARTH bassist Chris "Rover" Rybicki passed away yesterday (Monday, September 20) from injuries sustained in an accident when the scooter he was riding on was hit by an allegedly drunk woman.

According to The Salem News, Rybicki was riding a scooter in Salem, Massachusetts on August 28 when it collided with a 2008 Volkswagen Passat driven by Beth MacGillivary (photo of crash scene).

MacGillivary failed two field sobriety tests and had a blood alcohol level of .17, more than twice the legal limit, police said.

Rybicki was a member of UNEARTH from 1998 to 2002. He played on the band's first two EPs — "Above The Fall Of Man" (1999) and "Endless" (2002) — as well as the group's full-length debut, "The Stings Of Conscience" (2001).

The Salem News listed Rybicki's age at the time of his death as 39 while The Daily Item reported that he was 35 years old.