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Waxeater bassist receives severe electric shock while playing at Beerland
Elliott Turton, bassist for the Indiana band Waxeater received a severe electric shock while performing at Beerland Sunday night.
Emergency crews took Turton to Brackenridge Hospital, where he was in the intensive care unit as of Monday evening.
Beerland owner Randall Stockton said the club will be closed pending further investigation into the matter. “I am having an electrician come and check everything out,” Stockton said. “We had two bands play before him, but we are having an electrician come in and see what the deal is.” Stockton was not present at the time of the incident.
Beerland booker Max Dropout, who was also not present, said this was the first time such an event has happened at the club. “I have a very heavy heart about this,” Dropout, whose real name is Max Meehan, said. “I really hope he is ok. We’ve never had anything like this occur.”
The band’s Facebook page held the following comment: “Elliott is in critical condition but stable. There have been no problems with his heart since he arrived at the hospital. They are running tests but will keep him sedated for 48 hours.”
Correction: This blog entry has been corrected to say that Turton was injured, not electrocuted.
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Comments
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By chris
June 27, 2011 5:47 PM | Link to this
These things happen more than people realize. Little things can get you. Like not plugging in your bass all the way in. Stepping on spilled water while putting your lips to the mike. People have to realize that electricity is all over the place from amps to lights. Be careful.
By Sideman
June 27, 2011 7:23 PM | Link to this
These things don’t just happen. There is a defect in the electrical system and improper grounding or no one is shocked. Often you must be playing an electric guitar when your face hits the mike to complete the circuit. A variety of defects cause a variety of injuries but atrial fibrillation is a potential outcome. Unless you are cardioverted promptly, death is a very likely outcome. The electrician should have been called before, not after the tragedy. These defects aren’t latent. Simple tests can detect the problem. Best wishes to the bass man. I hope is he all right.
By Jeff Perkins
June 28, 2011 10:04 AM | Link to this
Here’s a thought….the bassist or another member of the band cut the ground pin off of his amplifier’s power cord so he could use an inappropriate extension cord at some point prior to this event OR he just ignored the maintenance required when the power cord was damaged. That the MOST likely occurrence. I’ve worked on more gear for more musicians than I can count and a very large percentage of those folks will avoid maintenance costs whenever possible.
By David Williams
June 28, 2011 10:40 AM | Link to this
Well, sideman, a master electrician has checked out the Beerland circuits and verified that there is no fault there, so before you hysterically point fingers, why not wait for some facts?
By rick riskus
June 28, 2011 11:27 AM | Link to this
I agree with mr.. perkins im an electrician and 9 times out of 10 its not the buildings fault. its the extension cord or the person using it that causes the problem. i’m sory the guy got hurt but blame probably lies in the roadies.
By bubba
June 28, 2011 12:29 PM | Link to this
I saw Tommy Shannon get shocked while playing on Stevie’s “Superstition” video. It was not real though
By somedudefromky
June 28, 2011 1:52 PM | Link to this
Rather than worry about who to blame in the future, I’m going out and getting a GFCI extension cord for my rig tonight. From what I can tell, that’s the cheapest insurance against this.
By Erin
June 28, 2011 1:56 PM | Link to this
someone is in the hospital guys. I dont think the pointing fingers is the important thing right now whether you are pointing them at the musician or the venue. sheesh
By Space Bass
June 28, 2011 3:52 PM | Link to this
Terrible tragedy, but the comments on this board made me think of something I never even considered - “Putting your mouth on the mic can complete the circuit.” More musicians should be aware of this, especially when playing outdoors.
By Julia
June 28, 2011 5:12 PM | Link to this
This fellow is a friend, is loved by many, and is an incredibly kind, hilarious and generous person. If there weren’t nurses watching the show to save his life he would not be alive right now. His heart stopped for a full two minutes and they had to resuscitate him. Please try to have some compassion and consider the fact that his family and friends will be reading these comments. Thank you.
By moneymike
June 28, 2011 5:36 PM | Link to this
yes, someone is in the hospital, and pointing fingers is all we can do right now.
By JJ Malls
June 28, 2011 7:22 PM | Link to this
Mr. Perkins is correct. If it had been a house issue, others would have experienced this. The fact it was him and no one else means there’s something wrong with his gear. I’ve been a bassist for 25 years and experienced the same thing. The one time I did get hit was because the ground and neutral on the circuit my amp was plugged into was wired backwards. Using a volt-meter, we found 220vac when we measured from my bass strings to the mic. Ever since, I carry a plug-in type circuit tester in my gear bag to ensure that doesn’t happen again. Plug it in, make sure the correct lights on the tester are lit, and then rock and roll.
By gizz
June 29, 2011 10:11 AM | Link to this
May God grant sped & complete recovery. Guys this is someone’s Child be compassionate please
By Dwayne Barnes
June 29, 2011 12:07 PM | Link to this
My condolences to the friends and family. I’m glad this chat is going though because this is a very important topic- one that might have prevented Elliott’s injury were it more often brought to light. I played live music for more than 10 years before I was first made aware of the danger of electric shock. I was made aware because the lead guitarist of my band grabbed a mic and was shocked. This is the same as touching the mic with your mouth to complete the circuit, except once you receive the shock, your muscles tense up and you can not let go of anything in your hands. So if you’re holding your guitar strings and the mic, you will continue to receive the current until the circuit is broken. In our case, our bassist tried to pull the guitar up. Since he was holding his bass, he just added himself to the circuit. They were saved because an audience member realized what was happening and kicked the guitar cord out of the amp, finally breaking the circuit. Fortunately in our case no one had to go to the hospital. Or at least, no one did. The culprit there was a faulty power-strip. It is critical to make sure your gear is properly wired. It is very dangerous to bypass grounding. But none of that will protect you against bad electrical at a venue (which doesn’t seem to be the case here). If you’re going to play electric and sing, it’s best to check the mic with the back of your hand instead of your lips. And never grab it. If you do, you might not be able to let it go.