Tragedy in California: At Least 13 Dead In Tour Bus Crash On Interstate 10 [VIDEO]

by Terresa Monroe-Hamilton | October 23, 2016 5:56 pm

I know Interstate 10 really well.[1] I used to drive it all the time. I was horrified to hear of this crash today. As of right now, at least 13 are dead and 31 have been taken to various hospitals. A tour bus crashed into the back of semi-truck hauling food products. The driver of the rig is fine and mostly just felt a thump in the back of the truck. The bus must have been going full speed, because when it hit, the semi came 15 feet into the bus. Thus, the fatalities.

The bus was taking people from LA to casinos for some fun. Instead, it ended in tragedy. The bus driver in the crash was killed – he also owned the company. Authorities shut down the freeway in the aftermath of the accident. Police expected it to re-open at 4 pm local time. When the crash occurred everyone was asleep on the bus. All passengers were adults. It could have been much worse… I just hope and pray the death toll does not rise.

[2]

From Fox News:

A horrific crash Sunday morning in California left 13 people dead and dozens more injured after a tour bus collided with a semi-truck.

The accident occurred at 5:17 a.m. in the westbound lanes of the 10 Freeway at Indian Canyon in the Desert Hot Springs area. The big rig driver, hauling food products, had only moderate injuries and police said he reported feeling “a thump in the back, but that’s all he really knew.”

“The speed of the bus was so significant that when it hit the back of the big-rig trailer, the trailer itself entered about 15 feet into the bus,” California Highway Patrol Border Division Chief Jim Abele said during a Sunday afternoon news conference. “So you can see there was a substantial impact.”

All 44 people on board the bus were believed to be adults, said Abele, who wouldn’t say if officials expected the death toll to rise.

“By the grace of God nobody else will pass away,” he said.

Right now, authorities are probably examining the black box in the bus to see why the crash occurred. They haven’t ruled out anything. My bet is he fell asleep at the wheel – it was very early. Firefighters on the scene had to use ladders placed near the bus’ windows to pull out victims. It took nearly two hours to separate the vehicles. What a nightmare.

Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs received 14 patients: five in critical condition, three in serious condition and six with minor injuries, hospital marketing director Rich Ramhoff said. Eleven people with minor injuries were sent to Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, spokesperson Lee Rice said. JFK Memorial Medical Center in Indio received five patients, all with minor injuries, chief development officer Linda Evans said. That leaves one unaccounted for… they may have been the lucky one.

Police had been in contact with consulates from Mexico, Australia and Japan. It’s a very sad day for all of them. A NTSB “go team” is on their way to help with the investigation.