10 Die in Charter Bus Accident

Williams, CAThe bus may have had the 'Greyhound' name emblazoned on the side. But it wasn't a Greyhound. That, and other discrepancies are producing many questions and will most assuredly have a bearing in any pending court action after a bus crash in California last night killed ten passengers and injured dozens more.

According to a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol, the bus was transporting a collection of casino-goers to Colusa Casino resort in Northern California late Sunday, when something went terribly wrong. Reports indicate that the bus was about 60 miles into the drive, heading north along Lone Star Road in Colusa County, when the driver suddenly lost control of the bus.

According to reports the vehicle veered off the road, spun out of control, roiled completely over and ended up on its wheels in the ditch.

"The roof was collapsed down, the windows were broken out, and the bus was not only rolled over onto its side, it rolled completely over," said CHP Sgt Patrick Landreth. "It was facing the opposite direction and it was on its wheels."

Several passengers were thrown from the bus. Late last night firefighters and rescue workers were combing the tall grass with flashlights and infrared beacons, looking for additional bodies. The crash took place in an area of rice fields and orchards just a few miles east of Interstate 5, just north of Williams.

It has been reported that there were no other vehicles involved in the tragic accident.

While the investigation continues, there are alarming questions about the circumstances surrounding that bus being on the road in the first place. It has been reported that Greyhound had sold that particular bus out of its fleet two years ago, and yet the Greyhound name remained on the bus. That suggests either the name was never removed after the sale, or it was painted back on after the fact. A Greyhound official confirmed that the bus was no longer a part of their fleet.

Even more alarming, the bus appeared to have a Texas license plate that was not valid. A spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol indicated that other registration, and serial numbers were also discovered to be invalid.

At this time it is not known who operated the bus, or the vehicle's maintenance history. However, this crash is eerily similar to a crash earlier this year after a coach carrying a collection of religious pilgrims ran off the road and crashed. There again, there was no other vehicle involved. It was later discovered that neither the bus, or the bus operator were licensed to provide service, and the driver had a long rap sheet of driving infractions, including driving while intoxicated.

There were at least 46 passengers on the doomed bus which crashed yesterday. Ten died, while 38 persons—including the driver—were taken to hospitals such as Enloe Medical Center, Colusa Regional Medical Center, Mercy San Juan Medical Center, Sutter Roseville Medical Center, UC Davis Medical Center and Woodland Memorial Hospital. Some were airlifted by medivac helicopter.

Given the questionable circumstances surrounding the bus, there are sure to be lawsuits originating with this accident given the tragic deaths, and the number and severity of the injuries.