Charter bus crash north of Dallas kills 13

[Ian David]

Source: Associated Press

SHERMAN, Texas (AP) — A charter bus carrying Vietnamese worshipers on a pilgrimage ran off a highway overpass north of Dallas and plunged onto a roadway below early Friday, killing at least 13 people and sending at least 24 to hospitals.

The bus smashed into a guard rail at about 12:45 a.m. on a bridge that's about 15 feet above a creek, apparently skidding along the guard rail before sliding off U.S. 75 just the other side of the bridge.

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The bus carrying 55 people from Houston to Missouri may have blown a tire, but officials were still investigating.

<SNIP>

KHOU-TV quoted a Galveston/Houston archdiocese church official as saying many of those on the bus were from the Vietnamese Martyrs Church of Houston and were on their way to a religious festival in Carthage, Mo. At least four translators were brought to the scene, the Herald Democrat of Sherman reported.


Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jsj8NREvyAiE5hd3VxVS_3Br4wUgD92E4JLO0

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Properly inflated tires save fuel AND lives!

[snooper2]

1. Um...

If the tire "did" blow it more than likely due to re-threading than under inflation...

Sorry for the families involved in this bad bad accident...

[bluerum]

2. Ahm a votin fer du bus. Ah lahk crashem ups!

[Faygo Kid]

3. Very sad. I don't think this is a story to use to win political points.

How tragic for the families and friends.

[Ian David]

4. In the aftermath of an accident, people become more vigilant about the safety issue that caused it.

If this was caused by poorly maintained tires, then drawing attention to it will save lives.

For a while.

Until people become complacent again, until the next big accident.

[WriteDown]

5. Sometimes tires just blow....

I knew a guy who bought 4 new tires and one literally blew as he was driving out of the shop's parking lot. Think he picked up a screw or something.

[rainbow4321]

6. Updating: Bus company in fatal Sherman crash was operating illegally

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/080908dnmetbuscrashowner.28abb719.html

The company whose bus crashed early Friday in Sherman was operating illegally, and federal authorities are urging state and local police to intercept any tour bus associated with its owner.

Iguala BusMex was formed just two months ago after another bus company, operated by the same owner, was barred from making out-of-state tours after a long history of safety violations. Those two companies both list addresses on Telephone Road in Houston and are led by Angel De la Torre.

"We have requested law enforcement agencies to be alert for any buses being operated by Angel Tours or Iguala BusMex, since they are not authorized to operate legally," said John H. Hill, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. "If found on the road, we want law enforcement to immediately stop and place the vehicles out of service."

<snip>

Iguala BusMex submitted an application with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in June but had not been authorized to begin operating, said agency spokeswoman Kristin Schrader. The application is pending in part because the company had not acquired the $5 million minimum insurance it needed, she said.

[lib2DaBone]

7. Bingo....

Mexican Bus.. Mexican driver (most likely no CDL no Insurance) Re-tread or Bald tires.... driver way over 10 hours a day. But just think about all the money the Republicans are going to save with the NAFTA Highway.

[Ian David]

8. Oh, let me guess... Angel Tours had an ad with a Jesus Fish on it...

... so the archdiocese immediately trusted them with the lives of their pilgrims and gladly gave those nice christians their money.