NTSB releases prelim report on deadly Palm Springs bus crash
The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on the Oct. 23 Palm Springs tour bus crash that killed the driver and a dozen passengers does not identify the cause, which remains under
investigation.
Federal and local investigators continue to investigate safety issues and other factors that contributed to the crash, which sent the Los Angeles-bound bus through the rear of a tractor-trailer on westbound Interstate 10,
killing 13 and injuring 30.
(Below: Westbound view of the new tubular steel pole structure at the intersection of the northwest corner of 20th Avenue and Diablo Road)
NTSB investigators concluded through their initial on-scene investigation that six of the eight bus tires were overly worn and out of compliance with federal regulations, but the report does not identify the tires
as a contributing factor to the crash.
“All aspects of the crash remain under investigation as the NTSB determines the probable cause, and continues to examine safety issues related to the crash,” the report states.
The California Highway Patrol is also conducting its own separate investigation.
Read the NTSB’s Full Preliminary Report
The bus, owned by Alhambra-based bus company USA Holiday, was taking part in a casino tour, which embarked from Thermal’s Red Earth Casino around 4 that morning.
USA Holiday’s owner and sole bus driver, 59-year-old Teodulo Elias Vides, was reportedly in the casino prior to the bus’ departure. At least two lawsuits have been filed against USA Holiday and Vides’ estate on behalf of the families of four deceased victims.
The report indicates that traffic had formed on the stretch of highway where the crash occurred due to utility work, which involved Southern California Edison crews moving electrical wires that crossed the road from a
wooden pole structure to a steel pole.
That traffic slowed the big rig down to about five miles an hour just prior to the crash, but it remains unclear just how fast the bus was traveling.
