The California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have released information on the April 10, 2014, crash between a FedEx vehicle and a charter bus carrying 43 students. There are thousands of pages. We are going to present some of this information over a period of days. Today, we look at the basic crash facts.
This collision tragically took the lives of 10 people, including 5 children. CHP and NTSB concluded that the FedEx driver caused the accident and speculated that driver fatigue may have played a role.
The Facts from NTSB
This information was released by NTSB:
“At about 5:40 p.m., a 2007 truck tractor in combination with two 28 food trailers operated by FedEx Corporation was traveling southbound in the right lane of Interstate 5 in Orland, California. At the same time, a 2014 Setra motorcoach operated by Silverado Stages Inc., and occupied by a driver, 43 high school students, and three adult chaperones was traveling northbound on I-5 in the right traffic lane.”
“In the vicinity of milepost 26.02, the FedEx combination vehicle moved to the left, departing the southbound traffic lanes and entering the 58-foot wide center median. The vehicle drove through a line of oleander bushes in the center of the median and entered the northbound traffic lanes of I-5. It collided with the left rear portion of a white 2013 Nissan Altima four-door passenger car, occupied by a driver and one passenger, which had just passed the Sentra motorcoach and moved back into the right lane of northbound I-5. The Nissan rotated counterclockwise and departed the highway on the east side. Following the impact with the passenger car, the combination vehicle collided with the motorcoach, and both vehicles departed the highway to the east.”
“A post-crash fire ensued. The fire consumed the combination vehicle and partially burned the motor coach. The front of the motorcoach received significant damage that exposed the vehicle’s interior.”
“As a result of the collision, the drivers of both combination vehicle and motorcoach were fatally injured. Eight motorcoach passengers were also fatally injured. The remaining passengers received injuries of varying degree. The occupants of the Nissan passenger car received minor injuries.”
“The combination vehicle had originally departed from the FedEx facility in Sacramento, California, at about 10:a.m. and drove to Weeds, California (located in Siskiyou County, approximately 49 miles south of the Oregon border), where the driver delivered two trailers. At about 3:30 p.m., the driver picked up two other 28-food trailers and was en route back to Sacramento when the accident occurred. The motorcoach, part of a chartered trip originating from Los Angeles, California, was taking high school students to Humboldt University, in Arcata, California, for a tour of the campus. The motorcoach had made a scheduled stop in Sacramento, where a replacement driver took over operation of the vehicle.”
Establishing these basic facts was step one of the investigation. We will discuss other aspects of the investigation in upcoming posts.
Several personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits have been filed against FedEx by victims of the crash and families who lost loved ones.
Free Consultation with Attorney at Our Law Firm
Our law firm has successfully handled accident cases against FedEx. Bus accident attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman are our lead lawyers for these cases. Both have extensive experience helping people get compensation and justice for serious injuries and fatal accidents. You can contact Fred and Eric for a free consultation.
