Driver Falls Asleep Losing Control of Bus -- Nine Dead and Over 30 Injured

Nine people died and over 30 were injured on Sunday, October 5, when the bus they were in crashed near Williams, California, about two miles from its destination, Colusa Casino Resort.  The bus, carrying mostly senior citizens and Laotian immigrants, crashed on Lone Star Road east of Interstate 5, near Abel road.

According to witnesses, the driver fell asleep at the wheel, losing control of the bus.  After overcorrecting, the bus then veered to the other side of the two lane road before crashing and rolling over in a ditch.

The driver, Quintin Watts, who was critically injured during the crash, was arrested on Monday as he lay on his hospital bed at Woodland Memorial Hospital.  Watts, 52, of Stockton, is suspected of driving under the influence of prescription or non prescription drugs.                

According to media reports, this was not Watts’ first motor accident.  In fact, Watts has a lengthy driving and criminal record, including felonies and a string of motor offenses.  He had been hired a week before the tragic accident by his relative Daniel E. Cobb Jr. who owned Cobb’s Bus Service LLC, the company operating the bus.  Apparently Cobb was training Watts to drive the 47-passenger bus, which according to the CHP was illegal since there were passengers in the bus.  Passengers recall Cobb trying to take over the wheel when Watt’s lost control.  Cobb was among the eight people killed in the crash.

The bus trips to the casino had been very popular with the elders in the Laotian community.  The fatally injured were all Laotians from the Sacramento area.  The injured were taken to eight different hospitals including Enloe Medical Center, Colusa Regional Medical Center and UC Davis Medical Center.  Some victims remain in serious or critical condition.

“It looks like they were going up to the casino to have a good time.” said Fran Clader, California highway patrol Commander.  “Unfortunately, it resulted in tragedy.”

The bus, which picked up its passengers in Sacramento, had invalid  Texas license plates, according to the CHP.  Also, other license numbers displayed on the vehicle were either obscured or invalid.

According to reports, Cobb, 68, had no insurance to cover the vehicle or its passengers.

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