On the morning of April 11, a charter bus reportedly crashed on northbound State Highway 161 near the North Belt Line Road exit in Irving, Texas. Here’s five fast facts you need to know about the bus accident, who has been reported dead/injured, and the exclusive pics retrieved from the scene:
1. The Bus Crash Took Place on State Highway 161
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WFAA reported that the charter bus crash took place on northbound State Highway 161 near the N. Belt Line Rd. accident in Irving, Texas. The bus accident began when it veered off the right side of the road, which caused it to drive over the concrete divets along the road’s shoulder. The bus proceeded to travel back over the northbound lanes of the state highway and careen into a grassy area. The bus then slammed into a nearby concrete barrier. A road map of the state highway can be seen above (marked by the number 161). Both the northbound and southbound lanes of 161 have been shut down.
Another charter bus crash recently occurred on April 5. WBTW News 13 reported that a crash took place in Southampton County around 7:05 a.m. The accident took place on U.S. Route 58 in Capron, North Carolina. One person was reported dead. Here’s some more details on this charter bus crash:
Anaya says the bus carrying eight passengers was headed from Chapel Hill, N.C., to Hampton. She says the driver lost control and the bus ran off the road and overturned in a ditch. No other vehicles were involved. It wasn’t immediately known what company owned the bus. Two passengers were ejected. Anaya identified the person who died as 58-year-old Doval Emmanuel Watson of Chapel Hill. Another passenger was taken to Norfolk General Hospital.
2. Two People Have Been Reported Dead; One of Them Organized The Charter Bus Trip
So far, two deaths have been reported due to the bus crash (81-year-old Sue Taylor and 69-year-old Paula Hahn). WFAA provided some more details behind Taylor, who organized this charter bus trip:
Taylor, called “Casino Sue,” organized the charter bus for a quarterly trip to the casino for senior citizens. She has organized the day trips through senior centers for years. “She’s kind of a hostess on the bus,” said Barbara, a resident at a Bedford senior center. “[She’s a] nice lady.” Jean Burton, another resident of the senior center, said seniors enjoyed the gambling trips. “We’re just filling our days, trying to have fun. We’re just enjoying ourselves,” Burton said. “It’s just a shame this happened. A tragedy.”
36 injured passengers were pulled from the wreckage and were treated by medical personnel. Several ambulances and one at least one CareFlite helicopter made their way to the scene. 41 people taken to area hospitals from the crash scene. Daily Mail reported on the other injured victims of the carter crash accident and where they’re were transported:
A spokeswoman for Baylor Medical Center in Irving said 13 patients arrived at the hospital following the accident. Officials at Las Colinas Medical Center in Irving confirmed another six patients were there, though details weren’t immediately available on their conditions. Another 11 patients were transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital, including the driver of the bus, and another victim was airlifted to a fourth hospital in critical condition, hospital officials said.
3. A Witness Reported Spotting One Person Trapped Underneath The Bus
Edward Cluck, a witness from the scene, told WFAA that he saw one person trapped underneath the bus shortly after the bus crashed. Cluck also spoke about what he saw:
The front of the bus was completely tore off. The people were all packed on top of each other, falling out of their seats … Man, pray for them. They need some help. All I really saw from the distance was a bunch of smoke. The bus must have hit something, turned on its side, crashed and slid all the way to the guardrail.
A passenger from the bus, Daniel Risik, spoke to The Dallas News about what transpired:
We ended up swirling and weaving and then ended up on the side. People were screaming and hollering, a very traumatic situation to say the least. People were piled on top of each other. It was unbelievable. A lady had pinned me. Rescue got there and started pulling people out of a roof emergency hatch. People were hollering, screaming, there was blood all over the place. It was unbelievable.
4. Several Tweets Have Been Posted About the Crash Scene
Marcus Moore, reporter for WFAA-TV, tweeted from the scene and took photos of the wreckage and the medical efforts being performed:
Crash involving bus on 161 and Beltline in Irving. twitter.com/MarcusMoorewfa…
— Marcus Moore (@MarcusMoorewfaa) April 11, 2013
Photo from bus crash scene. twitter.com/MarcusMoorewfa…
— Marcus Moore (@MarcusMoorewfaa) April 11, 2013
— Marcus Moore (@MarcusMoorewfaa) April 11, 2013
More people being loaded into ambulances. twitter.com/MarcusMoorewfa…
— Marcus Moore (@MarcusMoorewfaa) April 11, 2013
5. The Bus Is Owned by A Company Out of Mansfield, Texas
The charter bus is reportedly owned by Cardinal Coach Lines, a motor coach tours and charter service company ran out of Mansfield, Texas. WFAA reports that the company “has five registered buses, seven drivers and no history of traffic collisions.” They also provided some background information on the company and it’s minor violations:
U.S. Department of Transportation records show that the Mansfield-based charter bus operator has five registered buses, seven drivers and no history of traffic collisions. In the 250,000 miles the company’s buses have traveled, the only violations are minor: a driver failed to retain seven days of logs and another was ticketed for driving between one and five miles over the speed limit. It’s not clear where the bus originated from, however, Haschel said it was headed to “one of the casinos up north.” Cardinal often offers Dallas/Fort Worth-area residents a charter ride to Choctaw Casino in Durant, Okla., located about 90 miles north of Dallas.