Trace Adkins Has Survived Car and Tractor Accidents, an Oil Rig Accident, and Being Shot in the Chest
Being a country music star doesn’t seem like a high-risk vocation, but Trace Adkins might convince you otherwise. The singer has survived a variety of accidents, including car wrecks, a tractor accident, and getting shot in the chest.
Trace Adkins’ music career
Adkins made his musical debut in 1996 and has enjoyed success in the country music industry ever since. His hits include songs like “You’re Gonna Miss This,” “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,” “Every Light In The House,” and “Ladies Love Country Boys.”
At least six of Adkins’ albums have gone gold or platinum, and he has received four Grammy awards and won CMT and ACM trophies. While the country singer has enjoyed a lot of success, Adkins has also had his fair share of hardships.
Trace Adkins’ injuries include broken ribs, knee problems, and a missing finger
At age 17, Adkins was in a serious car accident when his truck hit a school bus head-on. He broke a few ribs, punctured both lungs, and his nose was partially torn off. From there, Adkins continued to sustain a number of injuries.
While attending Louisiana Tech University, the country star injured his knee and never ended up playing a game for his college team. In 1982, Adkins was working a construction job. A bulldozer accident left him with serious cuts on his lower body. He revealed to People, “I thought I was fixin’ to lose both my legs.”
The year after that, a 400-barrel oil tank exploded and crushed his left leg. In 1988, Adkins had another car accident and ended up in a neck brace after flipping his truck. In another on-the-job accident, the singer cut off a finger. Doctors were able to reattach it, but it’s at a permanent angle.
Another death-defying incident? Adkins and nine co-workers were on an oil rig during Hurricane Chantal. The musician looks back on the terrifying moment pretty matter-of-factly, telling People, “I got to the highest part of the living quarters on the rig, so if it turned over, I was pretty well centered and could go in either direction.”
Trace Adkins’ near-death experience after getting shot by then-wife
Perhaps his most famous injury was his gunshot wound. In 1994, Adkins was shot by his second wife, Julie Curtis. After a fight about the country star’s excess drinking, Curtis pointed a .38 at her then-husband. Adkins attempted to disarm her and Curtis shot him through both lungs and heart.
“The bullet went through both my lungs and both ventricles of my heart,” Adkins told People. “The doctors held little hope that I would survive and told my family and friends to go in and say goodbye.”
Luckily, Adkins survived. He decided not to press charges, but he and Curtis ended up getting divorced after three years of marriage. Adkins has survived a lot to get to his current-day musical success. His fans are happy that the singer has made it to today!
