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I thought he was dead already.
Please pray for Emilio's speedy recovery...
HOUSTON -- Grammy-winning Tejano singer Emilio Navaira was critically injured Sunday when his band's bus crashed on a highway in the metro area, city and hospital officials said.
Navaira and his band Rio had performed at a Houston nightclub on Saturday night. At about 5 a.m. Sunday, the band's bus slammed into traffic barrels on Interstate 610 northbound in Bellaire, a well-to-do enclave within the city west of downtown Houston, Bellaire police Sgt. Daniel Kerr said.
Navaira was one of eight passengers on the bus who were injured, said Houston Assistant Fire Chief Omero Longoria. Navaira was listed in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was being treated in the intensive care unit, said hospital administrator Lisa Lagrone.
He had surgery Sunday to remove a blood clot in his head, said Joe Casias, his agent, who was at the hospital with the hospital.
"The next 24 hours are very critical," Casias said. "....on behalf of his family, we hope his fans will pray for Emilio."
Navaira remained in critical condition early Monday, said Casey Smith, the hospital's operations administrator.
The bus was the only vehicle involved, Kerr said. Initial news reports, based on video from traffic cameras at the scene, had said three vehicles were involved.
Navaira, 45, and Rio have released more than a dozen albums, including "Acuerdate" that won the 2003 Grammy for best Tejano album.
According to the band's Web site, Navaira was born in San Antonio and earned a music scholarship from Texas State. In 1989, he formed the band with brother Raul, who was among those who suffered minor injuries, two Houston television stations reported.
Five people were taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where their conditions were not immediately known, Longoria said. A hospital spokeswoman would not give out any information, citing health privacy laws.
Two others were treated at Memorial Hermann and released, Lagrone said.
I thought he was dead already.
i read about this on CNN.com of all places earlier this morning. i hope he pulls thru.
I don't want to see anyone die but this guy is one arrogant asshole.
maybe just his career
Didn't he beat the out of his wife?
Yea, he's a saint.
Pray for him.
As long as Raulito is ok. That's all that matters.
LOL I think you should bring back the Raulito Shuffle!!
Well I'm not from south Texas so I don't know who he is, but when I read the name of that song "Acuerdate", I thought it said "Accudata" so I assumed he was a famous weather man!
Anyway, I hope he gets better.
yeah and he gets into with just about anyone. I've been to his house numerous times and he's a real pompous ass.
why have you been to his house?
Too bad he didn't go off on your ass.
I do it every morning in place of aerobics.
His mom was my kindergarten teacher. She is very sweet. I have met him a couple of times and has been nice. He went to the same middle school and high school as me. Where am I going with this?
I pray that he makes it through. He has done things in the past that weren't/aren't right, but I think we all have.
who else was on that bus, anyone know?
Just member's of his band I guess. No one else was seriously hurt from what I understand.
I've worked for two different companies that provided service for him. Twice to deliver a pool table and recover it and then I had crews clean his bus at his residence a few different times.
I must of heard
"don't you know who I am....I'm a famous singer" and "I'm a Tejano legend" a thousand ing times. Dude wanted all kinds of for free because we're supposed to know who he is.
As a matter of fact the carpet company I worked for will not do work for him any longer after he refused to pay for the services on his bus and demanded that we bill him on account because he couldn't or didn't want to pay after the job was completed. We accommodated him and then he didn't pay for over 5 months.
I've also had the pleasure of meeting Emilio and all of the Navaira family. They were regular customers at my Parents southside restaurant and were always very down to earth... But despite of what a lot of you haters have said about Emilio on this thread, I don't think now is the time to be judging him or anyone else for that matter, unless you've already walked on water...
My heart goes out to the Navaira family in this very difficult time for them.
When is an appropriate time to judge him?
Speedy recovery and all, but my first thoughts on a SpursTalk/Emilio thread was the logo Useruser666 posted in the drunken driving thread from back in the day.
Morning Update from Houston Chronicle. He was said to be driving.
Next 24 hours "extremely critical" for Tejano star
By MIKE GLENN, RAMIRO BURR and RUTH RENDON
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Wreck scene under investigation
The next 24 hours will be an "extremely critical" time for Tejano music star Emilio Navaira as doctors at Houston's Memorial Hermann Hospital work to save his life, a neurosurgeon said today.
``Currently, he is still critically ill," said Dr. Alex Valadka. "There is a chance he may not make it. You have to acknowledge that.''
Navaira was thrown through the windshield of his tour bus about 5 a.m. Sunday when it slammed into traffic barrels on the northbound Loop 610 just before the exit onto U.S. 59 in southwest Houston. Friends and authorities said the Grammy award-winning singer was driving the bus.
''For some reason, the driver lost control and hit the barrels,'' said Bellaire Police Sgt. Daniel Kerr. "We don't know why yet.''
Kerr would not say whether Navaira was driving.
At a news briefing this morning , Valadka said Navaira was unconscious when he was brought to Memorial Hermann on Sunday. Doctors performed a two-hour surgical procedure to remove a blood clot from his brain, Valadka said.
Navaira is in a medically induced coma, the surgeon said, adding that people with this type of injury typically have a survival rate of 65 to 75 percent if all goes well.
The singer's manager, Joe Casias of the Universal Latin Agency, expressed thanks on behalf of Navaira's family for the support they have received since the accident.
His immediate family is at the hospital and have been able to see him in the intensive care unit.
Of the six other people on the bus, five have been released after treatment.
Bass player Rick Vega remains at Ben Taub General Hospital, undergoing treatment for abdominal injuries.
Police aren't sure whether alcohol played a role in the wreck, but said they planned to test the driver's blood levels. The driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, Kerr said.
Authorities also are uncertain of how fast the bus was traveling when it struck the barrels — crushing the vehicle's front end and scattering concert posters and other debris along the road. Part of the West Loop was closed for several hours while police investigated and cleared the scene.
Navaira, 45, was flown by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where a family friend said doctors operated to open Navaira's skull to relieve swelling.
''They told me they had to induce a coma to help relieve that pressure,'' said Joey Rodriguez, a close friend of Navaira's and manager for David Lee Garza y Los Musicales.
Navaira's younger brother and bandmate, Raul, a passenger on the bus, was seen walking around at the hospital, friends said.
Known simply as Emilio to his fans, Navaira and his band, Rio, performed Saturday night at Hallabaloo's in southeast Houston.
He was set to perform Friday at the San Jose Scottish Rite Center in California.
Eden Barrera Jr., a fan in Houston, said he was shocked when he saw the accident scene, which he stopped to photograph.
''From what I could see, there was nothing left of the front cab,'' he said. ''It is unbelievable that anyone could have survived the crash.''
Family members, friends and fans touted Navaira's critical role in increasing the popularity of Tejano music. They also recounted Navaira's generosity, including his work to raise about $1 million for a children's foundation since 1990.
''He would give the shirt off his back to help anybody,'' said Ben Arredondo, Navaira's former uncle.
The San Antonio native is a self-taught musician who learned on a guitar that his father purchased at a pawn shop. He later majored in music at what now is Texas State University in San Marcos.
In 1989, he went solo and quickly rose as an influential force in the rising movement that became Tejano's massive renaissance in the early '90s. By the mid '90s, Navaira and Selena were considered the undisputed king and queen of Tejano. They both played in front of 70,000 fans at the Houston Astrodome for the Houston Rodeo's Go Tejano Day several times. They also dominated at the annual Tejano Music Awards.
Navaira won a Grammy in 2003 for his CD Acuerdate. His latest CD, De Nuevo, was released last September.
Like a number of celebrities, Navaira has seen his share of troubles.
He was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated in September 2000. That followed his arrest in January that year on charges of assaulting a girlfriend and resisting arrest, charges that were later dropped.
Grammy-winning, Houston-based Tejano band Avizo has performed with Navaira on several occasions. Band leader and trumpet player Robert Dorantes compared Navaira's legacy to that of Selena and says, ''This could have happened to any one of us.''
Navaira ''helped shape Tejano music into what it is today,'' Dorantes said. ''We hope and pray Emilio comes out of this OK, and this should be a wake-up call to all musicians on the road.''
Ramiro Burr is a San Antonio Express-News reporter.
Chronicle staff writers Joey Guerra, Rosanna Ruiz and Anita Hassan contributed to this report.
KPRC is reporting there's a vigil scheduled at 7 p.m. at the Alamodome.
Will they sell beer?
What kind of stupid question is that?!?
Of course.
is this the guy that played with clay wlaker on valentines day??
sorry im not familair with tejano singers..
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