Recent Bus Accidents
At Least Two Dead in Illinois Bus Crash
On Wednesday, December 5, 2018, a semi-truck driving the wrong way crashed into a school bus returning a girls junior varsity basketball team to Normal from a game in the Champaign region. The crash occurred on Interstate 74 between Bloomington and Downs. An adult volunteer traveling with the team was killed. The truck driver also died.
Multiple Fatalities in New Mexico Greyhound Bus Crash
On Aug. 30, 2018, shortly before 1:00 p.m. local time, a Greyhound bus transporting 49 passengers collided with a semi-truck outside the small town of Thoreau, New Mexico, causing multiple casualties and severe injuries.
Video footage taken shortly after the fatal accident shows the front of the bus completely sheared off, with scattered debris in the grassy median separating westbound and eastbound lanes.
Chinese Tourists Injured and Killed in Tour Bus Crash in Ontario, Canada
On June 4, 2018, a tour bus crash in Canada killed multiple people and injured at least two dozen others. On the bus were two Americans — the bus driver and one of the tour guides. The tourists were all Chinese citizens as was a second tour guide.
Fatal New Jersey School Bus Crash in Mount Olive
On May 17, 2018, a major crash between a dump truck and a school bus in Mount Olive Township, New Jersey left at least two dead and several others hospitalized. According to local law enforcement officials, one child and one adult were killed in the bus accident and at least 11 others were sent to area hospitals, including one person who was listed in critical condition.
The New Jersey school bus crash happened at around 10:30 a.m. on the westbound side of Interstate 80 (I-80) near Exit 25. State Police issued a preliminary statement after the crash, calling the situation “serious.”
The collision caused the school bus loaded with children to flip onto its side on the highway’s grassy median. Witnesses to the accident said the impact ripped the bus off its frame and sheared off the front of the dump truck. Pictures of the school bus show the mangled and partially charred passenger cabin nearly separated from its front end.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Turns to Nightmarish Mexico Tour Bus Crash – December 19, 2017
On Dec. 19, 2017, a tour bus crash in Mexico left 12 people dead, including eight Americans. Over a dozen other people sustained injuries in the accident, which occurred in an area called Costa Maya, a stretch of Caribbean coast on the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula in the state of Quintana Roo.
While an investigation into the Mexico tour bus crash is in its early stages, Quintana Roo state prosecutor Miguel Angel Pech Cen told the media that it appears the bus driver’s negligence and potential speeding led him to lose control of the vehicle and leave the road. When he attempted to get the bus back on the roadway, the bus flipped and hit a tree.
Tennessee School Bus Crash Kills at Least Five Students, Others Injured – November 21, 2016
On November 21, 2016, a school bus crash tragically took the lives of five young students from Woodmore Elementary School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Thirty other children were injured in the school bus accident, which was one of the worst in recent years.
Baltimore Bus Crash Leaves Six Dead, Others Injured – November 1, 2016
On November 1, 2016, a fatal bus accident between a school bus and a Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) bus in Baltimore left six people dead and 10 more injured. The Baltimore bus crash was reported just before 7:00 a.m. on Frederick Avenue and Monastery Avenue.
Palm Springs Tour Bus Crash – October 23, 2016
In the early morning hours of October 23, 2016, a tour bus returning passengers to the Los Angeles area from a casino slammed into a big rig near Palm Springs. The California tour bus crash was reported at 5:17 a.m. on the westbound side of Interstate 10, just before Indian Canyon Drive. Thirteen people lost their lives and 31 others sustained injuries in what will go down as one of the deadliest bus crashes the state of California has seen in decades.
Lea en Español: Choque de autobús turístico en Palm Springs
Eight-Year-Old One of Four Dead in Rockingham Bus Accident – September 17, 2016
Four people were killed and dozens more were hospitalized on Saturday when a tire failed on a charter bus transporting a junior college football team and the bus crashed in Rockingham, North Carolina. Authorities say 46 people were on the bus at the time. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
Four Dead, 16 Others Injured in Highway 99 Tour Bus Crash – August 2, 2016
Four people were killed and at least 16 others sustained injuries early Tuesday morning when a tour bus swerved off of Highway 99 and collided with a sign pole outside of Merced, California. The Autobuses Coordinados USA bus and an estimated 30 passengers were on their way to Pasco, Washington from Mexico when the Highway 99 tour bus crash occurred at around 3:25 a.m. An investigation is underway.
Four Dead and 25 Others Injured in Florida Bus Crash – July 2, 2016
Four people were killed and an estimated 25 others sustained injuries early Saturday morning in a bus accident in the Florida Panhandle. The Florida bus crash happened at the intersection of Woodville Highway and Coastal Highway 98 in Wakulla County. The NTSB is assisting the Florida Highway Patrol in the investigation.
Church Bus Crash in San Bernardino County Injures 21 – May 22, 2016
A church bus crash outside of Highland, California left 21 people injured on May 22, including seven who sustained serious injuries. The bus was one of several transporting an estimated 200 women back to Iglesia de Cristo Ministerios Llamada Final church in Downey after a retreat to the mountains. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Texas Bus Accident Leaves Eight Dead – May 14, 2016
Eight people were killed and over 40 others sustained injuries on Saturday when a tour bus crashed on a south Texas highway. The tour bus, owned by OGA Charters, overturned on the northbound side of U.S. 83 about 46 miles north of Laredo.
Ennis Bus Accident Leaves 10 Injured Days After Fatal School Bus Crash – April 21, 2016
A bus accident in Ennis, Texas sent 10 senior citizens to area hospitals on Thursday morning. The Ennis bus accident came days after a fatal school bus accident claimed the life of a motorist and left three students with injuries. Both crashes remain under investigation.
Connecticut Greyhound Bus Accident Leaves at Least Six Injured – March 27, 2016
Several people were taken to area hospitals after a Greyhound bus collided with a Chevy Malibu passenger vehicle in North Stonington. The Greyhound bus was transporting dozens of people to Foxwoods Casino when the crash occurred at around 8:00 p.m. on Route 2. The driver of the Malibu had to be extricated from the vehicle and was later rushed to an area hospital. Several bus passengers were also injured in the wreck. Authorities are investigating.
Seattle Duck Tour Boat Accident vs. Bus Crash, Seattle, Washington – September 24, 2015
A recent bus accident took the lives of four international students and sent at least 50 others to the hospital, many with critical injuries. The charter bus was filled with new students on their way to an orientation event, many of them participating in the college’s widely popular international program. The bus was driving along the 83-year old Aurora Bridge when it was hit by a duck boat tour bus that suddenly swerved into its lane. This bus crash is currently under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). So far the NTSB has discovered that the duck boat involved in the bus accident had been operating for two years without repairing an axle that the international company had known about since 2013. In the wake of this new information about the bus accident, all Ride the Ducks tours have been halted until the investigation is complete and all of the company’s vehicles and drivers pass a rigorous inspection.
Houston Independent District School Bus Crash, Houston, Texas – September 15, 2015
A Houston high school bus was travelling east on I-610 at around seven in the morning in order to drop off students at Furr High School when a car driven by a Houston Independent School teacher swerved into the path of the bus while trying to avoid another car drifting into her lane. The school bus was hit by the teacher’s car. The bus driver then over-corrected while trying to avoid further damage. This overcorrection sent the school bus smashing into the guardrail and off the edge of the overpass, causing it to flip before landing on its side on the street below. Two students died and three others were seriously injured in this recent school bus accident. The NTSB and local police departments are currently investigating the causes of this school bus accident, but they have noted that the bus was only six years old and was equipped with seat belts.
Train and Prison Bus Crash, near Odessa, Texas – January 14, 2015
A new prison bus was travelling on an icy overpass on Interstate 20 near Odessa, Texas to Sanchez prison in El Paso when it hit debris from the guardrail that had been left on the road from a previous accident. After hitting the damaged guardrail, the bus veered to the side before losing control and going over the median. The airborne bus flew down an embankment, skidding directly into the path of a passing Union Pacific freight train. The ensuing train and bus crash killed 10 people and injured five others. Horrifically, the eight inmates who died were handcuffed together in pairs, in seats that did not have seat belts.
Orange Unified School Bus Accident, Anaheim Hills, California – April 24, 2014
A school bus driver failed to disclose hid a medical condition that could have deprived him of a commercial driver’s license. While driving, he passed out, causing the bus to go off the road, crashing into a tree. All 11 students on board were injured along with the bus driver. He was later charged with felony child abuse and endangerment, along with perjury by declaration, in connection with the school bus accident. Baum Hedlund represents two students injured in this school bus crash. KNBC News Los Angeles interviewed a Baum Hedlund bus accident attorney about the bus crash. She told NBC that she didn’t think the bus driver intended to harm the children, but regardless, the Orange Unified School District should be held accountable for his negligent conduct while operating the bus, “They hired someone who covered up a medical condition. They were responsible for putting him behind the wheel.” Failure to disclose disqualifying medical facts by school bus drivers and commercial truck drivers is all too common, and calls into question the adequacy of investigations by employers of commercial bus and truck drivers into prospective employees’ medical history.
FedEx vs Charter Bus Crash, Orland California – April 10, 2014
A FedEx truck crossed a freeway median in Northern California and crashed head on into a tour bus carrying high school students on a trip to Humboldt State University. Both the truck and bus caught fire, killing 10 people and injuring 39 passengers. The lack of a bus passenger safety briefing, along with poorly-marked emergency exits, also contributed to the number of deaths. Baum Hedlund represents the parents of one of the chaperones killed in the crash and two injured students. A Baum Hedlund bus accident attorney said, “The primary allegations against FedEx are obvious from the facts: A truck should not leave its lanes of travel and go over a median. As for the bus operator, it’s our understanding, from the survivors, that there had been no explanation or instruction given as to emergency evacuation procedures, and we know that the kids were kicking out windows to try to get out.”
Church Bus Crash, Near Dandridge, Tennessee – October 2, 2013
A North Carolina church bus was returning from a three day jubilee event in Tennessee when the church bus’s left front tire blew out. The tire failure caused the bus to veer across the median and into oncoming traffic. The bus struck an SUV and then a tractor-trailer, which then caught fire as the bus overturned. The chain reaction bus accident caused eight deaths and 14 injuries. Sadly, there was no NTSB investigation performed into the official causes of the bus crash due to the government shutdown at the time.
Scapadas Magicas Tour Bus Crash, Yucaipa, California – February 3, 2013
In a horrific tour bus crash, eight people were killed and 33 were injured when a tour bus’s brakes failed while navigating the windy mountain roads of San Bernardino on a return trip from Big Bear mountain resort. The passengers and driver knew the brakes had failed when a grinding noise, followed by smoke, filled the bus. While the bus driver tried to regain control or stop the vehicle, the bus rear-ended a car before colliding with a pickup truck head-on and rolling over. This tragic tour bus accident was highly preventable for several reasons. Foremost, the tour bus was not equipped with seat belts, which, if they had been installed, may have mitigated the number of deaths and injuries in this tour bus crash. Additionally, an NTSB investigation found that all six brakes on the bus were inoperable or defective. The investigation also found that at the time of the bus accident, the bus company had failed safety inspections 36% of the time and had its vehicles placed out of service 64% of the time. Yet, instead of deciding to shut down the company, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) incredibly chose to cease inspections and give the company a “satisfactory” rating without looking over a single vehicle. Only after this high profile bus accident did the FMCSA order Scapadas Magicas to cease operations. This continuous problem with the FMCSA only shutting down companies after public outrage over a bus accident, led the NTSB to call for a probe of the FMCSA.
Chesterfield Elementary School Bus Accident, Chesterfield, New Jersey – February 16, 2012
A terrible school bus crash took place after an elementary school bus driver hid a medical condition in order to gain a commercial driver’s license. The school bus driver should have been barred from employment as a bus driver because the medications he was taking for his chronic lower back pain caused fatigue. In order to gain employment, he saw a chiropractor who wasn’t familiar with his medical history and who gave him the required commercial driver’s license medical exam. On the day of this tragedy, just three weeks into his employment, he went to work extremely fatigued after getting only five hours of sleep or so during the previous three nights, and drove into the path of a dump truck. The resulting school bus accident caused the death of an 11-year-old girl and the injury of 15 other students. The severity of the school bus crash was exacerbated by the fact that the dump truck had faulty brakes, was speeding, and was transporting construction materials that overloaded the vehicle over 4,000 pounds past the established weight limits of 80,000 pounds.
Mi Joo Tour Bus Crash, near Pendleton, Oregon – December 30, 2012
While on the last leg of a tour of the western United States, the Mi Joo tour bus lost control on icy roads, hitting a barrier and skidding sideways through a guardrail on Interstate 84 before falling 178 feet down an embankment. The horrific bus accident killed nine people and injured 37. An investigation into the bus accident discovered that the driver had been operating with the transmission retarder engaged. Driving with the transmission retarder in use is against protocol, since using the retarder in icy conditions is known to make wheels skid. He had also exceeded the federal limit for working hours and was driving too fast for the conditions. The NTSB stated that the Mi Joo tour company had “longstanding and systemic” problems with meeting Federal safety standards, and that the FMCSA could have prevented the crash with more effective oversight of offending carriers such as this one.
World Wide Tours Bus Accident, Bronx, New York – March 12, 2011
A terrible bus accident occurred early in the morning when a bus driver, returning from a Casino in Connecticut, fell asleep at the wheel while speeding. The World Wide Tours bus then drifted to the right until it hit a barrier and fell on its side before continuing to slide for another 500 feet before colliding with a sign post that sheered the bus in half. The bus accident killed 15 of the passengers and injured the other 17 people on board. After the bus accident, the driver claimed that the bus swerved because he was clipped by a tractor-trailer, however an investigation by the New York State Police and NTSB found that to be untrue. In the end, it was found that the driver had little to no sleep in the days leading up to the crash, as well as a history of safety violations (including 18 previous license suspensions.) Subsequently, World Wide Tours was blamed for having improper oversight of its driver. The company was also faulted for not having a bus equipped with seatbelts which would have lessened some of the injuries from the bus crash. As a result of this and numerous other deadly bus accidents in 2011, federal officials began investigating the safety of curbside bus operators as a whole. These curbside bus operators are particularly problematic for their ability to abuse the system in ways that make putting them permanently out of business very difficult.
Sky Express, Inc. Bus Accident, near Doswell, Virginia – May 31, 2011
The driver of the motorcoach fell asleep while driving, causing the bus to veer to the right and hit a barrier. In an attempt to bring the bus back to the left, the driver ended up overturning the motorcoach. Four people were killed and 49 were injured in the resulting bus crash. While looking into the causes of this bus accident, we discovered that Sky Express had a history of continuous failure to meet federal safety standards. They were even cited for reckless driving 46 times in the two years before this bus accident and they ranked a terrifying 99.7% worse than other bus companies in the driver fitness category. The unfortunate part of this story is that while the FMCSA never stripped the carrier’s ability to operate until after this bus accident, they did give an unsatisfactory rating for the company a month prior to the accident that should have stopped them from making interstate trips. However, Sky Express was allowed to appeal and operate for another ten days while that ruling was reviewed. This deadly bus accident occurred during that ten day window. Baum Hedlund represented the family of one of the passengers killed in the bus crash.
Tierra Santa, Inc. Bus Crash, near Phoenix, Arizona – March 5, 2010
In a preventable bus crash, the bus driver lost control and swerved several times before rolling the bus, killing six and injuring 16. After this bus crash it was found that the bus company, Tierra Santa Inc., had been operating illegally without insurance for nearly a year after being denied authorization to act as an interstate carrier. The company also had a long track record of safety violations, fines, and out of service orders that had been ignored over the years. This bus company falls into a category that is often referred to as “reincarnated” operators, which will apply for operational status using false information after being ordered off the road for safety violations. Sadly, the federal authorities do nothing to ensure these companies remain off the road once they issue an order to cease operations. This lack of oversight allows such perilous companies to begin operations again under different names and addresses. Sadly, it is paying passengers and the general public that gets harmed when scoff law operators are permitted to get away with this murderous conduct.
To find out about recent bus accidents across the country and learn why these crashes continue to happen, visit this bus accident page on a regular basis. Bus accident attorneys at Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman are available to potential clients to answer any questions.
