Warning to those that ride the band bus

[Lefty Ray]

Some of you may have heard but Tejano music star Emilio Navaira was severely injured in the crash of his bus while returning home to San Antonio from a gig in Houston, TX.

That same morning I was on David Lee Garza's band bus heading back home to San Antonio also coming from Houston. Both bands were performing at different night clubs right around the corner from each other. Our bus arrived back home without incident, Emilio's did not.

From time to time I will hitch a ride with a band. Sometimes it is on a full fledged custom touring bus, sometimes in a 15 passenger van. The thought always occurs to me "what if the bus/van rolls, overturns, etc?" On this trip the keyboard player was on vacation and the substitute was traveling on his own to the nightclub. This meant an open bunk on the bus which I was allowed to use. On the way back I slept so I would be in some decent shape for Easter day once we arrived (7:00am) back in town. Laying there, you cannot help but think about the worst case scenario.

David Lee's bus driver has a good record and has good practices. Once we arrive at the gig, he eats, then sleeps until it is time to drive back. That night (or early morning as it was) someone had to wake him up so we could get going.

Often I might ride shotgun to keep the driver company. The next time you ride the bus, thank the driver, buy him dinner or a cup of coffee.

A vigil was held last night and you can see the photos at http://www.leftyray.com/emilio08A.htm These were shot in an editorial manner and converted to black & white out of respect for the family.

Here is a shot of the crashed bus taken by one of my protégés who came upon the bus on his return from a different concert.
http://www.tejanoplace.com/DSC_5927.jpg

[bacchanal]

I read about this on CNN and figured that it might hit pretty close to home for you. I know what you mean about being a little uncomfortable on a bus...I've never been able to sleep too well in a moving vehicle. Scary stuff.

[stathunter]

yikes........... :(

[dou_b_14]

I just read the paper here in the Valley about the incident...It was shocking to me...it was just a couple of weeks ago that he performed in Brownsville for the sombrero fest. Emilio is someone I always admired for being a positive figure for the Hispanic community. I truely am saddend about this. My prayers go out to him and his family.

[narlus]

i heard about the accident and immediately thought of you, and that you probably knew the people involved. bummer.

[johnstoy]

Sorry to hear about this Lefty Ray...... It's sad that a good guy like Emilio got hurt... (I haven't seen it on the news yet, will look for it next.)... Take care and stay safe...

[JENerationX]

As a huge fan of live music, I know my thoughts are always with the band members and their families while they're on the road. It has to be horrible to get that call that something has happened to your loved one while they're on tour. Hopefully he pulls through. My prayers go out to Emilio and his family/friends/fans.

[M12576]

Fabulous pictures on the website. It's a very sombering thing to see that photo of the bus. I don't know his music but from what I read he was a very good man. He was kind and raised money for charities. My prayers are with his family and fans.

[Lefty Ray]

AP Update

HOUSTON (AP) — Raul Navaira remembers seeing his brother, the Tejano music star known to his fans simply as Emilio, signing autographs after an Easter weekend club date in Houston.

Raul Navaira climbed aboard the tour bus that Emilio routinely drove and went to sleep for the 200-mile trip home to San Antonio.

"It was like any other night," Raul Navaira, 40, said Wednesday.

Except it wasn't.

"The next thing I knew, I felt stuff falling over me," he said.

At about 5 a.m. Sunday, the 26,000-pound motor coach slammed into a collection of freeway barrels that mark the interchange of two highways in Bellaire, a southwest Houston enclave. Emilio was thrown through the windshield, injuring him severely and requiring two brain surgeries, the most recent on Tuesday evening.

The 45-year-old father of five and Grammy winner is fighting for his life.

"It was weird," his brother said. "Right away. I thought of him. I knew he was driving. I go: 'Emilio, you OK?' I heard a 'Yeh, yeh,' but it actually was our drummer beneath the rubble."

He said by the time he made his way out of the bus, paramedics had strapped his brother to a gurney to take him to the hospital.

"They didn't let me get to him," Raul Navaira said. "I just shouted out that I loved him. ... Maybe I was in a daze. By the time I got out of the bus, everybody was there and helping."

Doctors worried about the condition of Emilio Navaira took him into surgery a second time Tuesday, after medication failed to lower pressure that began to build in his brain around a bruise where they removed a blood clot two days earlier.

"We all agreed it was heading in a negative direction and we thought we'd intervene before it got to a critical point," said Dr. Alex Valadka, director of neurotrauma services at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and vice chairman of neurosciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

He said he reopened an incision made during Navaira's initial surgery Sunday and removed a piece of bone that had been taken out and put back following that first operation.

"After the surgery, the pressures in the brain were lower and Emilio tolerated the surgery fine without any problems or complications," Valadka said.

He said Navaira remained in critical condition but described him as improved and "perhaps better off than he was a few days ago."

"He is still in a coma," Valadka said. "We are still giving him some medication so it's difficult to say at this point how much is from the severity of his injury and how much is the medication. If he continues to remain stable, we'll gradually try to cut back some of the medication."

Recovery could take months.

"The general pattern with someone with injuries of his severity, you think of prolonged recovery, rehabilitation and a lot of therapy," he said.

The wreck remains under investigation. Several members of Navaira's band, including Raul, came away with less serious injuries. Raul had a black eye Wednesday and said he had scrapes and bruises and a sprained ankle but was otherwise well.

His brother and their group have released more than a dozen albums, including "Acuerdate," which won the Grammy for best Tejano album in 2003.

Police in Bellaire said Navaira was not licensed to drive the tour bus. Authorities were awaiting the results of blood-alcohol tests and said it was possible he may have fallen asleep.

Raul Navaira said his brother was accustomed to the long drives each weekend. Asked about the possibility of alcohol being involved, he said: "I don't know."

"My heart hurts and goes out to my brother and my other brothers of the band," he said. "It's just sad they have to go through this."

The group had planned to be in California for a tour starting this weekend.

[Ballen Photo]

This is simply "devastating" news. :( From the looks of the front of that bus, it's a miracle the driver survived.
My thoughts are with them and their families.
-Bruce

[René Damkot]

Hope everything turns out okay...

[Rock Photo Star]

sorry to hear that.