Mark Chesnutt photo courtesy of Lofton Creek Records.
July 29, 2008 — Mark Chesnutt’s band and crew escaped injury Sunday morning in a bus accident that found one of Mark’s employees working briefly for the state.
The wreck occurred around 3 a.m. as the group headed back to Nashville following a concert at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, Texas. A car exceeding 100 miles per hour slammed into the back of the bus. The automobile was totalled, and the driver was apparently charged with driving while intoxicated and driving without a license.
The drama was heightened by the police response. Two cars were sent to the scene, though one arrived with a flat tire. Mark’s road manager, Kenny Thurman, changed the tire for the officers while they took reports from the entourage, which included bus driver Dave Simon and band members Delaney Jackson, Cary Stone, Lee Kelley, Steve Ledford, Bob Gulley and Don Bradley.
Mark was not aboard the bus; he was instead flying back to his home in Beaumont.
"I'm really, really glad all the boys are alright," Mark said, emphasizing the incident has not made him squeamish about ground travel.
"I'd still rather drive than fly," he insisted. "I love the bus!"
He’ll likely be riding it quite a bit this weekend. He appears Friday in Summit Station, Pa; Saturday in North Collins, N.Y.; and Sunday in Carleton Place, Ontario.
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