The bus had departed from Uniondale, N.Y., where Cyrus performed a two-night stand at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Nov. 18-19, and was traveling towards Greensboro, N.C., where Cyrus is set to perform Sunday. The accident occurred around 8:15 a.m. EST in Dinwiddie, Va., about 40 miles south of Richmond.
Sgt. Thomas Molnar said the black-and-maroon luxury tour bus, which was one of four tour buses traveling together, overturned after it ran off the left side of Interstate 85 and struck an embankment. The Prevost tour bus apparently skidded for several hundred feet and landed on its side in a ditch off the highway. Passengers exited the bus through the front windshield.
Virginia State Police noted that the roads were wet from heavy rain Thursday night, but speed and weather weren’t considered factors. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
The tour bus was transporting Cyrus’ production lighting crew.
WTVR CBS 6 News out of Richmond reported that the victim who died was the driver, William Douglas, 53, of Austin, Texas. According to the TV station, Douglas was trapped inside the bus and died at the scene. A passenger, Marty Zilio, 48, of Canada, was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries. There were eight other people on the bus.
A wrecker hauled the tour bus to the next exit off 1-85 where two other tour buses were parked outside a restaurant. Cyrus was not traveling with the caravan at the time of the accident.
After performing at the Greensboro Coliseum on Sunday, Cyrus continues on her U.S. fall tour with shows in Charlotte, N.C.; Nashville; Columbia, S.C.; Atlanta; Tampa, Fla. and Miami. Dec. 7 the teen pop star kicks off her U.K./Ireland tour with dates through Dec. 29.
Click here for the AP story.
Click here for the WTVR story.