Nearly two dozen Greyhound passengers were rushed to the hospital after a bus crash in Tulare County Wednesday morning. The California Highway Patrol responded to the scene sometime around 3:15 a.m. along the northbound lanes of Highway 99 near Avenue 260. ABC30-TV reports the accident occurred north of Tulare on August 3, 2022.
California Highway Patrol officers believe the Greyhound bus driver at the wheel allowed the bus to drift off the right shoulder for an unknown reason. The bus traveled through a chain-link fence and eventually tipped over in the parking lot of Horizon Nut Processor. The driver is a 45-year-old man and KSEE-TV reports he is from Beverly Hills.
Officers on the scene said that 21 passengers were treated for minor to moderate injuries and were taken to three different hospitals in Tulare, Visalia, and Hanford. Officials say the bus was traveling from Bakersfield to Fresno. CHP investigators continue to work to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident, but they don’t believe drugs or alcohol played a role.
Passenger Bus Accident Dangers in Central Valley
Purchasing a ticket for a ride on a Greyhound bus should also buy you some assurance that your safety and your family’s safety will be protected. That’s not always the case when a bus driver is allowed to become drowsy or gets distracted and suddenly loses control of a giant vehicle.
Even a small mistake can lead to a devastating crash and leave Greyhound Bus passengers with all sorts of traumatic injuries. These injuries can include traumatic brain injuries, and broken arms and legs. Chest and rib injuries are also common and may lead to internal organ damage.
These bus accidents can’t be considered rare either. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) found that in 2019 there were an estimated 13,000 bus accidents involving injuries across the U.S. Those accidents left around 25,000 victims hurt. Even more tragic, there were 231 fatal bus accidents recorded. Those devastating collisions claimed 35 lives.
The responsibility for these accidents falls on the drivers at the wheel and also on the Greyhound Bus Corporation that hires them. Greyhound is responsible for background checks for each driver, the training of each driver, and the safe practices to keep employees from getting overtired. When Greyhound fails in these duties, victims are right to expect help as they recover.
A word about Greyhound bus accidents in California…
The victims of Greyhound Bus accidents from Fresno, Bakersfield, or anywhere else in Central Valley should be made fully aware of the benefits available to them. These benefits can often be secured through a bus accident injury claim filed against a driver’s insurance and Greyhound Lines Inc. itself.
For more on this most recent Greyhound accident and what to do if you or a loved one were a victim, please visit our informational page here.
