Josh Turner's Tour Bus Carrying Road Crew Launches Off Cliff, Leaving 7 Injured and 1 Dead
A tour bus carrying Josh Turner‘s road crew crashed Wednesday night, leaving seven of the passengers injured and one dead.
According to multiple reports, the bus was leaving the Vina Robles Amphitheater in Paso Robles, California, after wrapping up a concert for the country musician, when it crashed off of Highway 46 near Shandon.
Turner, 41, and his band were not on the bus, according to a tweet from the San Luis Obispo County Fire Department.
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[FINAL] #CenterIC Confirmed Tour Bus of the Josh Turner Road Crew was involved in this accident. Mr. Josh Turner and band were in different buses and not injured. #CHP and #Firefighters will be at scene several hours for investigation and clean up. pic.twitter.com/zVnPEjy5BN
— CAL FIRE SLO (@CALFIRE_SLO) September 19, 2019
California Highway Patrol told KSBY News that, for unknown reasons, the driver left the roadway and drove 20 yards before the bus fell from an 80-foot cliff.
Two passengers — one of whom died at the scene — were ejected from the vehicle. Several other passengers suffered significant injuries from the plunge. Authorities say two were airlifted to a hospital with major injuries and the remaining five were taken to the hospital by ambulance.
“Josh Turner and his road family have suffered a devastating loss,” the singer’s rep told PEOPLE in a statement. “Please keep the crew, band and Josh in your thoughts and prayers.”
The Fire Department shared on Twitter that they would “be at [the] scene several hours for investigation and clean up.”
[UPDATE] #CenterIC 8 patients, 5 moderate, 2 major and 1 deceased. #Firefighters #EMS at scene. pic.twitter.com/EKtjy8CzKq
— CAL FIRE SLO (@CALFIRE_SLO) September 19, 2019
PEOPLE has contacted the Fire Department and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office for an update on the investigation.
According to KSBY, CHP has ruled out drugs or alcohol as the cause of the crash and will be impounding the bus to see if there were any mechanical issues. They are also looking into whether the driver, who is believed to be in his 50s, suffered any medical issues that could have caused the crash.
The tour bus was headed to Washington State where Turner had his next scheduled performance at the Central Washington State Fair this upcoming Friday, Sept. 20. His rep told PEOPLE that all remaining shows in September will be rescheduled for a later date.
