UPDATE:  Estey & Bomberger  is currently representing victims of the Soledad bus accident, and has begun a full investigation of this incident. For more information or to speak with attorneys Steve Estey or Mike Bomberger about the bus accident, call (800) 925-0723 or e-mail   info@estey-bomberger.com. 

 

MAY 8, 2009 — The investigation has begun in the aftermath of the Soledad tour bus accident that killed five French tourists and injured dozens more in Monterey County on April 28, 2009. Although it is still unknown what caused the fatal bus accident, more details have been released, including reports of the driver’s involvement in a bus accident three years ago in Las Vegas. The totaled bus has been towed to Watsonville, CA, where it will undergo further inspection. 

 

Soledad Bus Accident Information

 

On Tuesday, April 28, the bus was traveling south on Highway 101 near Soledad, CA, about 125 miles north of Santa Maria, when it crashed on the Front Street overpass. The accident occurred at about 3:25 p.m. The group of tourists had been in the United States since April 19, and was en route to southern California, where they were scheduled to fly out of LAX back to France. For unknown reasons, the driver lost control of the bus, which overturned on the overpass. Several occupants, including the driver, were ejected onto Front Street below.

 

The CHP reported the bus had 36 people on board, which included 34 French tourists, a Canadian tour guide, and the driver. Four of the occupants were under the age of 18. One 13-year-old girl was airlifted to a Fresno Hospital. The occupants were taken to 10 different hospitals from Palo Alto to Fresno, making for difficult information gathering.

 

Passenger Injuries & Fatalities

 

In addition to the driver, four passengers died in the crash. They have been identified as Daniel Le Garrec, 68, Michael Taveira, 26, Christian Montmayeur, 65, and Jacqueline Montmayeur, 64. Three people died at the scene. Two others, including the driver, died at hospitals. One day after the crash, four others were in critical condition and more than a dozen were still hospitalized. The Red Cross is providing assistance to victims released from hospitals with food, housing, grief counseling and translators. The French Consulate in San Francisco will help survivors able to travel make arrangements to return home.

 

Driver Involved in Previous Crash

 

The Monterey County Coroner’s office reported Wednesday that the 69-year-old driver, John Egnew, of Riverside County, died of the crash. Police reports released Wednesday indicated Egnew struck and seriously injured a pedestrian while driving a bus in a Las Vegas crosswalk in 2005. Egnew admitted to not seeing the 71-year-old Michigan woman cross the street. In April 2006, he pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of starting the bus improperly from a stopped position. Last year, a $750,000 settlement was reached with the company that owned the bus involved in the Las Vegas crash.

 

Bus Company Had Clean Record

 

The bus was operated by Orion Pacific, a luxury charter tour-bus company, based out of Orange County, CA. The company’s fleet includes 12 passenger buses staffed by 18 drivers. According to Department of Transportation records, Orion Pacific passed 14 random roadside vehicle inspections in the last two years, and has no reported crashes during that time. According to its website, Orion Pacific has been in operation since 1985.

 

Other Fatal California Bus Accidents

 

The Soledad bus accident was the third fatal bus crash in California in less than a year. One person was killed and 27 others were injured when a ski resort shuttle bus crashed near Floriston, CA, north of Lake Tahoe on April 4, on I-80. Eight bus passengers were killed when a bus en route to a casino in Colusa County crash on October 5, 2008. A 930 page CHP investigation report revealed the driver fell asleep at the wheel.

 

Lax Federal Oversight in Bus Safety?

 

The April 28 Highway 101 crash came only a week after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) requested the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration take action to protect bus passengers in crashes. On April 23, we wrote of the NTSB’s concerns about the Department of Transportation not implementing safety recommendations for buses and motor coaches. Recommendations made for almost a decade include installing seatbelts, strengthening roof structure and installing recorders to monitor driver fatigue. Yesterday, a spokesman for the United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said the Secretary is planning a full review of motor coach safety.