Investigators Reveal Cause of Trace Adkins’ Band Bus Crash

Driver fatigue was the reason for a wreck in February, in which a Ford F-250 truck crashed head-on into a tour bus carrying Trace Adkins' band in Caddo Parish, La., a crash investigator told KTBS.com.

Both men in the truck will killed on impact, and five people on the bus were injured. Trace, a native of Sarepta, La., was not on the bus, but already in Bossier City for a planned concert appearance. Authorities said the pickup had been swerving before it crossed the center line on U.S. 71 and hit the bus. The driver of the bus could not avoid a collision.

The men in the pickup were returning home from an all-night visit to one of Shreveport-Bossier's casinos, but alcohol was not a factor in the accident, according to authorities.

"They had been at the boats all night -- somewhere in the neighborhood of 24 hours without sleep," Caddo Sheriff Mike Gray said. "Driver fatigue was the primary factor. [The driver] may have dozed off."

The pickup driver, 21-year-old Justin Maxey, failed to make a right-hand curve in the road and his truck went into the oncoming lane. Thirty-six-year-old Jeffrey Ferguson Jr., of Texarkana, was also killed during the accident.

Five of the nine people on the bus were taken to a local hospital in Vivian with minor injuries after the crash. Trace arrived at the scene in a van shortly after the crash and spent about 30 minutes with the uninjured band members, then proceeded to help them load their luggage into the vehicle. They left the scene together en route to the Vivian hospital to check on the others.

"This is a real tragedy," Trace said in a statement. "Two people have been killed and I don't even know their names. So out of respect for their families, I prefer not to comment too much at this time."

In other news, Trace will be the featured performer for amateur and professional contestants of the Bob Hope Classic and for military personal at a celebration concert in La Quinta, Calif., on January 17. For more Trace Adkins tour dates, click here.