A horrific accident occurred today in Fresno, California, involving a Greyhound bus that struck an SUV and another vehicle on California Highway 99. Six people were killed, four were critically injured and at least 30 others came away with some degree of injury.
The accident happened around 2:15 am on Thursday, when the bus, traveling from Los Angeles to Sacramento, ran into an SUV that was overturned in the fast lane, then ran into another vehicle, then ran off the road and hit a large tree. At this time, authorities can’t tell exactly when or how the SUV overturned—it might have been in the road some time before the accident, or might have flipped just before being hit by the bus. Someone in the SUV was one of the six fatalities.
Taxi driver Mike Coupland told CNN affiliate KMPH-TV that "at the last second," he saw the SUV on its side in the highway: "no lights, no nothing." He said the bus did not have time to stop before striking the SUV.
The impact was "like a bomb going off," Coupland said. "Just pieces and parts everywhere. It was terrible."
The bus driver, he said, was "doing nothing wrong."
Greyhound spokesman Tim Stokes said the driver, a 32-year employee, and two passengers were killed aboard the bus. Stokes did not identify the driver but said he "was an excellent driver with a clean driving record and was a very well respected member of the Greyhound family. " –CNN
It appears that authorities will be investigating the cause of the accident for some time. Regardless of whose fault it was, there are far too many bus accidents, and these tragic, senseless deaths have to stop. We need better regulation of the bus industry, with stronger laws governing bus driver training, mechanical inspections and maintenance of the buses, and the number of hours drivers are allowed to work before resting.
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