Willie Nelson's latest tour grounded to a halt on Saturday after a nasty bus accident sent two band members, including longtime drummer Paul English, to the hospital with injuries. Nelson was not on the bus.
English (ankle), his drummer brother Billy (hip) and crew member Tom Hawkins (rib) were all hurt when the bus ran into a pillar during a rain storm and high winds near Sulphur Springs, Texas, about 80 miles northeast of Dallas. The bus was heading to Tunica, Mississippi where the band was scheduled to play Saturday night tonight at Horseshoe Casino. That show, plus three more - in Jackson, Mississippi on Nov, 24; Fayetteville, Arkansas on Nov. 26; and Lafayette, Louisiana on Nov. 27 - have been canceled. The Nelson Family tour will pick up again in Las Vegas on Dec. 10.
The accident occurred at 2:27 am on I-30. It took nearly three hours to get the injured out of the bus; they were taken Hopkins County Hospital. There were six people total on the bus, including the driver. Nelson rides in his own bus.
This is the second Nelson tour cancellation in recent months. In September, three shows were postponed due to the singer's shoulder injury.
