Monday, February 4, 2013

RE: [californiadisasters] 8-10 Killed in Hwy 38 Bus Tour Crash



It will be interesting to see the green paper on this one.  Smoking brakes means usually the shoes are too hot or the hubs (grease inside) are burning.  If allowed to continue, hubs melt and wheels fall off.

 

It sounds like the mutual aid system worked well; a followup would be nice to see too (since I drive through there a couple times a year).

 

As the bus is listed from National City, NAFTA isn’t involved.  But it may cripple the company regardless.

 

Loma Linda has a GREAT rep as a trauma and surgery center; one of the best places in the state.

 

Don’t be surprised if the driver is brought up on charges for this one.  It’ll take years to settle, if it can be, even without the international aspect (enter politics, stage left).

 

This is a prime example though of why drivers need to be fully alert, not distracted and maintain vigilance.  The Saturn and Ford were simply driving along when they got smacked.

 

Be afraid, you’ll probably live longer.

 

Rick

 

PS Pretty sloppy reporting style.  What is ‘mildly steep grade’?  2%, 4%, 7%, 9%?  That is a critical fact for the reader.

 

PPS buses are not required to have seatbelts, which may have helped contain the passengers in the vehicle.

 


From: Kim Noyes

The bus, which had originated in Tijuana, was on its way down the hill from Big Bear when it crashed about 6:30 p.m. on a mildly steep downgrade just east of Bryant Street, Caltrans and CHP officials said.

The driver told the CHP that he was having brake problems and rear-ended a Saturn, agency spokesman Mario Lopez said. The bus overturned, then landed back on its wheels, ejecting passengers as it rolled.

Either before or during the rollover, the bus hit a Ford pickup or SUV that was towing a small cargo trailer, Lopez said.

Witness Matt Weisfeld told KTLA Channel 5 that he saw the bus coming down the hill going very fast, passing cars with smoke coming from the wheel area.

Victims were taken to multiple area hospitals. Loma Linda University Medical Center spokesman Herbert Atienza said victims began arriving there about 7 p.m.

Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga told KTLA that the bus had originated in Tijuana.

The Mexican government sent Carolina Zaragoza, the consul of Mexico for San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, to the scene. Zaragoza was gathering information from the CHP and said the consulate was sending employees to hospitals to see if there were any Mexican citizens.

The bus is from Scapadas Magicas LLC, a company registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation as being located in National City, Calif. According to DOT records, the company has a satisfactory safety rating, and had no reported crashes in the previous 24 months.



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