CHP now reporting one fatality and multiple serious injuries:
Two dozen people involved in the fatal church bus accident near Twin Peaks have been taken from the scene to hospitals, San Bernardino County authorities said.They got something in the neighborhood of 2' of snow this weekend. The roads are probably pretty treacherous.
One person was killed in the accident that occurred about 11:50 a.m. Monday as the bus was traveling westbound down a steep and slippery Highway 189, said Officer Mario Lopez of the California Highway Patrol. The bus collided with another vehicle and went over a small embankment, slid down about 25 feet and smashed into a 50-foot cedar, crumpling the cab of the bus.
There were 22 people on the bus and two in the other vehicle, Lopez said. Special tools were used to cut out bus seats and extricate some of the victims.
The injured were taken to Loma Linda Medical Center and Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Ten people were listed in critical condition, and the others suffered only minor injuries, Lopez said.
A man who was passing by and spotted the crash told KNX 1070 radio that the bus went down the mountain about 50 feet, coming to rest at a 45-degree angle.
Having been in the church insurance business I can tell you an incident like this is what the insurance company dreads. Of the top 10 claims processed by the company I worked for, seven of them were vehicle accidents. They get very expensive, very fast.
More information on my church insurance experience here.
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1 comment:
My family and I were the first ones one the scene. We were on our way to see my new house (im getting married) when we saw the power lines down. Thats when out of the corner of my eye I saw the bus. There was another guy and his son just standing there taking pics and doing nothing. He didnt even call 911. We had no service so we asked him to call. Me and my dad slid down the embankment to the bus. He went and started breaking windows before realizing there were back doors and started to help people. I never went in but brought some girls our jackets. I held one of the girls she said her name was Julia. She kept asking me if she was alive and if this was real. I just held and comforted her. I am assuming she is around my age (19). The bus was destroyed and it took a while for me to notice what I assumed to be the bus driver crumpled up where the front tire should be. That is what started me to cry, I couldnt imagine what they were feeling. How can I move up there after seeing somthing like this? But Julia who just kept saying thank you over and over and fading in and out of reality kept me focused on her. I pray that those who perished were belivers and didnt feel any pain, and those injured wont loose sight of God and feel that this is a punishment of some sort. I have up close photos from the scene when we arrived but they are way to graphic to show. Unfortunatly the images wont leave my head. One of the cops said that this was the worst he has seen in 27 years on the force. All I can say is these images and the ones on the news arn't even close to showing you the tragedy these poor people went through.
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