Tag Archive: bus driver

6 People killed in Greyhound Bus Accident near Fresno.

Fresno Greyhound Bus Accident

Scene of horrific Greyound Bus Accident

FRESNO, Calif. — A Greyhound bus carrying 47 people and traveling to Sacramento from Los Angeles crashed on a highway in California’s Central Valley on Thursday, killing six and injuring many others.

California Highway Patrol Officer Michelle Sigmond said the bus driver swerved to try to avoid another crash involving an overturned SUV and slammed into a concrete center divider and then struck another vehicle shortly after 2 a.m. just outside downtown Fresno. The bus went down an embankment, hit a eucalyptus tree and came to rest on a freeway off-ramp with its front end smashed and tree branches jutting into the vehicle.

Twisted pieces of metal, broken glass and torn clothing littered the ground around the accident scene.

Arlen Snider, who had been traveling from Phoenix to Sacramento to visit his mother, said he was asleep in the middle section of the bus when the crash occurred. She awoke to the smell of smoke and injured passengers all around her.

“I woke up on the floor of the bus and started helping people off the bus,” Snider, who escaped uninjured, said after arriving in Sacramento’s bus terminal Thursday morning.

In addition to the six dead – four women and two men, including the driver – several people were hurt with injuries that ranged from critical to bruises and cuts, said CHP Officer Kirk Arnold.

It’s unclear if all of the fatalities were on the bus.

“I had just woke up and I heard a boom once, and a boom again and the next thing I know we were down this embankment,” Linda Gee, a passenger on the bus, told KMPH-TV in Fresno.

“I’m alive and I thank god I’m alive,” she said. “There was just bleeding everywhere.”

The bus departed Los Angeles late Wednesday and stopped in Fresno before continuing on its route to Sacramento. It was on its way to Madera for one of about eight scheduled stops when the crash occurred, according to Greyhound spokeswoman Bonnie Bastian.

A relief bus was sent to take nine passengers who wanted to continue on to their destinations.

Northbound lanes of Highway 99, a major route through the San Joaquin Valley, have been closed since the crash.

Fresno Bus Accident Attorney Website

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A Bus hits and kills Horse in Morgan Hill, CA

horse killed by valley transit authority busA Valley Transit Authority bus carrying 18 passengers collided with a horse in a north Morgan Hill residential neighborhood about 7 p.m. Thursday, according to the California Highway Patrol. The horse did not immediately die, which made for a horrific scene as it flailed around for about 45 minutes until animal control officers arrived with a lethal injection.

California Highway Patrol officers arrived at the scene on Hale Avenue south of Kalana Avenue and determined it was unsafe to shoot the horse to put it out of its misery, according to the California Highway Patrol. They immediately called animal control and tri-county officers arrived before 8 p.m.

“Usually we do, however it was very close to a residential area,” CHP officer Jaime Rios said. “We didn’t feel that it would be safe at the time.”

He said if an animal is suffering and it’s on a freeway or in a rural area, officers will euthanize it. Rios said passengers did not see the horse once it was hit and suffering.

Rios said the bus on southbound line 68 was traveling about 40 mph when it struck the horse.

VTA spokesperson Jennie Hwang Loft said the horse ran loose from a group of horses in a pasture when it ran in front of the bus. She said the bus driver suffered minor injuries.

A VTA bus stop is located at Hale and Kalana avenues, but authorities are unsure how near it was to where the accident occurred. The roadway was closed for about 90 minutes and the bus was eventually towed away. The horse was taken away by tri-county officers. Passengers were eventually picked up by another VTA bus and taken to their destination.

No passengers reported any injuries, but the bus sustained extensive damage, according to the VTA. Rios said no drugs or alcohol were involved.

Authorities are still working to locate the owner of the horse and plan to contact neighbors today. There will not be any criminal charges filed because no passengers were injured. Rios said he can’t say if there would be any civil charges filed.

A man who drove by the incident, but did not want to be identified, said the horse was laying in the middle of the street, flopping around.

“I’ve seen a lot, but that was pretty brutal,” he said.

All animal owners in California are strictly liable for the acts of their animals. If any of the bus passengers, or the bus driver was injured in this crash, the animal owner would be liable for their injuries because they failed to contain their animal, and let it get loose.

All California animal owners must ensure that their animals are not let loose and are contained. Had the owner of the horse not let the horse get loose this potentially devastating accident woudl not have happened, and the horse would still be alive.

 Morgan Hill Bus Accident Attorney

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New California State Laws for the Second Decade of the 21st Century; The Year 2010; I think our State Legislatures have too much time on their hands! Read Below.

A Summary of California Laws for the year 2010Below is a summary of new laws for the State of California for 2010. Most will be going into effect on Friday morning.

Remember you are deemed to know the law; ignorance of the law is no excuse for violating it.

AB 9 (J. Perez) – Political Reform Act: FPPC – this law clarifies what constitutes improper campaign activity by a local government or agency during an election for a candidate or initiative.

AB 14 A motor vehicle can be declared be a public nuisance and impounded for up to 30 days when the motor vehicle is used in the commission of specified crimes related to prostitution.

AB 58 Now an Infraction to participate in a betting pool with less than $2,500 at stake.

AB 91 New “Ignition Interlock Device” Law requires first-time DUI offenders to install a device in their vehicles in a test program in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Tulare counties.

AB 144 (Ma) – Last year in San Francisco, law enforcement confiscated over 1,000 illegal disabled placards. The widespread abuse has not only taken away parking opportunities for people who really need them, but has also exacerbated the difficult parking environment in San Francisco. The current penalty is a $100 fine.

AB 144 not only increases the fine for fraudulent use to $1,000, but also gives parking control officers the ability to cite violators. Currently, only police officers have the ability to cite violators in many instances.

AB 166 (Lieu) – Creates a cost-effective solution to deal with the growing number of abandoned boats in California’s waterways. The bill will establish a vessel turn-in program that permits boat owners to transfer ownership of their dilapidated vessels before they become an environmental hazard.

AB 171 (Jones) – Establishes basic consumer protection standards governing credit cards and loan products that are arranged in dental offices. The law is designed to protect elderly, low-income or limited-English-speaking dental patients who unwittingly signed credit card applications. The new law prohibits arranging credit while patients are under anesthesia, requires notice in the patient’s primary language, and requires refunds if dental services have not been provided within 15 days.

AB 232 (Hill) – Allows the California State Teachers Retirement System to implement technology improvements such as switching from paper transactions with customers to online and e-mail transactions. The changes will reduce environmental impacts and save the state about $1 million annually.

AB 242 (Nava) – Strengthens penalties for spectatorship at a dogfight in California.

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Vehicle collides with school bus carrying children in Ontario, California

Ontario, California Bus Accident and Ontario, California Car Accident AttorneyOntario – California

A school bus carrying about 15 students crashed into a tree after it was hit by a vehicle that ran a stop sign, according to the California Highway Patrol incident log.

None of the child passengers were hurt, CHP dispatchers said, but the bus driver was injured.

The traffic collision, which blocked the intersection, happened about 4:05 p.m. near San Antonio Avenue and Phillips Street in Ontario, California.

Ontario police officers detained one person and later made an arrest, but no other information was available.

In my personal experience, kids usually do not feel aches and pains immediately after an accident such as this, especially on a school bus. I hope that the kids are all uninjured.

If you or your family have suffered an injury in a school bus, or other type of motor vehicle accident anywhere in California, you may call our California Accident Hotline for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 ext. 1.

Ontario, California Bus Accident and Ontario, California Car Accident Attorney

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