According to NBC San Diego, a tour bus headed to Valley View Casino rolled onto its side on the afternoon of December 19. The bus was headed south on Interstate-15 near Route 76 in the Fallbrook area when, according to police reports, the bus began to swerve at 55 mph. The driver could not correct the motion, and the bus flipped on its side. The California Highway Patrol reported that rain in Fallbrook area may have resulted in slick roads which contributed to the accident.
Six passengers were seriously injured, 14 sustained minor injuries, and a 64-year-old woman died. The force of the swerving bus launched the victim partially outside of the bus, which then crushed her once it flipped on its side. Emergency crews arrived at the scene and shuttled injured passengers to the Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside and Fallbrook Hospital.
One passenger said, “[m]y neck and head hurt, but nothing is broken.” Another could only hazily recall that the “[t]he bus flipped, and I ended up on the floor. My arm hurts, and my head is spinning,” she said. The staff at Palomar Hospital was well equipped to handle the influx of the 12 passengers with minor injuries.
The charter bus company, Five Star Bus, has a history of accidents and injuries. Five Star Bus only owns and operates two buses which, according to federal safety records, have been in two accidents in two years. In addition, the company did not pay the necessary taxes to the franchise tax board and, as a result, lost its corporate registration.
I Was Injured In A Charter Bus Accident. Who Is Responsible?
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