Josh Turner postpones all September tour dates

All shows expected to be rescheduled

Josh Turner has postponed the remaining tour dates for September following a fatal accident involving one of his tour buses late last night (Wed, Sept 18th) in Central California. The accident left one person on his crew, 64 year old David Turner, dead and seven others injured after falling down a steep embankment.

“Josh Turner and his road family have suffered a devastating loss,” a rep from Turner’s label, Universal Music Nashville, says. “Please keep the crew, band and Josh in your thoughts and prayers. All remaining shows in September will be rescheduled for a later date.”

The elder Turner — not related to Josh — was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. David worked for the “Long Black Train” singer for nearly 14 years. He previously worked with Patty Loveless, Tammy Wynette and Eddie Rabbit, among others.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) says accident happened following a concert in Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County when the driver, identified as 39-year-old Bradley Dratnol, veered off the road through vegetation until he hit a riverbed on Highway 46 in Shandon just before midnight. The bus went over an 80 foot cliff where it impacted the sand, killing David Turner and leaving others with major injuries.

Dratnol had to be extracted from the vehicle and transported to a Fresno hospital where the extent of his injuries remain unknown as of press time. The CHP is investigating the accident. Firefighters had to use rope to help get the others out of the embankment.

Turner and his band were on a different bus and not injured. CHP will impound the vehicle to check for mechanical issues.

The buses were on their way for a Friday show in Washington state before playing in Oregon on Saturday night. They were set to return to Mid-Southern California on Monday to perform at the Kern County Fair in Bakersfield where Phil Vassar has been named as Turner’s replacement.

Turner has yet to publicly address the incident. We extend our thoughts and prayers to Turner, his crew and their families.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com