TORONTO — Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was critically injured early Saturday when the Mercedes Sprinter bus he was in was involved in a multi-vehicle crash on a New Jersey highway.
The accident killed his friend James McNair, also known as Uncle Jimmy Mack, and left fellow comedians Ardie Fuqua and Harris Stanton injured.
The men were returning from a show in Dover, Delaware at the time of the crash.
There have been a number of accidents involving the tour buses of celebrities (or their bands or crews) in recent years. Here’s a look at 10 of them.
Metallica – September 1986
Heavy metal band Metallica lost bassist Cliff Burton on Sept. 27, 1986 when their tour bus lost control and went off the road in Sweden. He was thrown from his bunk and crushed by the bus. None of the other band members suffered serious injuries.
Gloria Estefan – March 1990
Singer Gloria Estefan was critically injured on March 20, 1990 when her tour bus was hit by a truck on a highway near Scranton, Pennsylvania. She suffered a fractured spine and doctors implanted two titanium rods to stabilize her vertebral column. Her husband Emilio and their then-nine-year-old son Nayib were also on the bus but escaped serious injuries.
Emilio Navaira – March 2008
Tejeno musician Emilio Navaira was rushed to hospital in critical condition after his tour bus crashed into barrels on a highway outside Houston, Texas on March 23, 2008. He was kept in a medically-induced coma to minimize brain swelling but eventually recovered. Police said Navaira was behind the wheel at the time of the crash, despite being inebriated and not licensed to drive a bus.
Bret Michaels – July 2009 and June 2013
Poison singer Bret Michaels’ tour bus was hit by a car on an Ontario highway, causing a five-vehicle pile-up, after his concert in Toronto on July 4, 2009. He was not injured. Three years later, Michaels suffered minor injuries when his tour bus hit some deer on a road between Abilene, Texas and Biloxi, Mississippi.
Miley Cyrus – November 2009 and March 2014
A tour bus carrying Miley Cyrus’ crew went off the road on Nov. 20, 2009. The driver was killed and nine people on the bus suffered minor injuries. On March 17, 2014, a bus carrying the singer’s mother and sister burst into flames near New Orleans.
Weezer – December 2009
The band Weezer was traveling to Boston on Dec. 6, 2009 after performing in Toronto when a tour bus carrying singer Rivers Cuomo, his wife and daughter, their nanny and an assistant crashed on a New York state highway. Cuomo suffered three cracked ribs and minor internal injuries; the assistant suffered fractured ribs and fractured lower vertebrae.
Miranda Cosgrove – August 2011
Singer Miranda Cosgrove was traveling with her mother and several other people on a tour bus when it slammed into a truck on Aug. 12, 2011. The driver was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries. Cosgrove was left shaken by the accident.
Baroness – August 2012
A bus carrying American metal band Baroness went off an embankment and slammed into the ground about 30 below below on Aug. 15, 2012 during a tour of England. Frontman John Baizley suffered a broken arm and leg while two bandmates suffered fractured vertebrae.
Marcus Miller – November 2012
Grammy-winning jazz musician Marcus Miller was injured on Nov. 25, 2012 when his tour bus crashed near Schattdorf, Switzerland. The driver was killed. Miller and members of his band suffered minor injuries.
Willie Nelson band – November 2013
A tour bus carrying Willie Nelson’s band members — but not the singer — crashed into a bridge pillar on a highway outside Sulphur Springs, Texas on Nov. 23, 2013. Three people were hospitalized with broken bones.
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