Country star Josh Turner’s crew bus crash leaves 1 dead, 7 injured
A bus carrying country star Josh Turner’s crew plunged 80 feet off an embankment in California, leaving one dead and seven injured, officials confirmed Thursday.
The singer and his band were on a different bus and not involved in the crash, which happened shortly after their latest show at the Vina Robles Amphitheatre in Paso Robles on Wednesday night, investigators said.
The crew bus had only driven about 20 minutes when it suddenly veered off Highway 46 near Shandon just before midnight, hurtling about 20 feet off the road before plunging down an embankment, according to KSBY.
At least two people were thrown from the bus, including the crew member who died, the station said.
Confirming the death, fire officials also classified two of the seven injuries as “major.”
“Mr. Josh Turner and band were in different buses and not injured,” the San Luis Obispo County Fire Department stressed in a tweet that had confirmed it was the singer’s crew bus.
Drugs and alcohol have already been ruled out as a possible cause for the crash, KSBY reported, with the California Highway Patrol looking to possible mechanical problems with the bus, according to the report.
Investigators will also look at the medical history of the driver, said to be in his 50s, who was airlifted to Cottage Hospital in Fresno, the station said.
The country singer’s next show is scheduled for Friday night at Central Washington State Fair.