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Colusa Bus Accident Raises Concerns about Lack of Regulation in Bus Industry

The Sacramento bus accident has led to a rise in concerns about a small, but worrisome section of the transportation industry that has scant regard for regulations, has little oversight, and very poor enforcement.

The bus which was on its way to the Colusa Casino Resort, is reported to be one of several mom and pop bus operations that are paid by casinos to transport gamblers to their casinos. The bus in question here was transporting a group of elderly Laotian immigrants to the casino. Officials say that this is a common practice among casinos, and in many cases, the casinos are not bothered about any safety regulations, or the lack thereof, at these bus companies.

Cobb Bus Service is considered to be one of at least 9 such bus companies that had such arrangements with the Colusa Casino Resort.

According to a spokesman of the American Bus Association, which represents close to 1000 bus companies in the U.S., most of these bus companies operated under the radar to escape detection by authorities. Registration is always a murky affair involving cross registration in other states to find a way around the system. It also makes the task of tracking the ownership of the company difficult in the event of a bus accident.

Besides the ambiguity about registrations, these bus companies are renowned for their poor safety and inspection records. Authorities are still tying to figure out if the bus involving the Sacramento accident was involved in annual inspections, as required by law. We already know that the driver of the bus, Quintin Watts had an extensive criminal record, including stints in prison for drug and firearms possession. He had been out of work for years, because of his record, before landing a job at Cobbs. There might be a familial reason why Watts was given a driver’s job at Cobbs. According to AppealDemocrat.Com, Watts is the stepson of Daniel Cobb, the owner of the bus service, who died in the crash. It seems that Cobb had been married to Watts’ mother before she died ten years ago. After that, Watts had been taken in by his adoptive parents. This explains how someone with a criminal record for drugs and firearms offenses no less, found himself with a job that involved being responsible for other people’s safety.

A reputable bus company will have a terminal with a customer service lounge, but so far there has been no terminal located for Cobbs Bus Service. The company has a church in Modesto and a house in Sacramento as listed addresses. The California Department of Motor Vehicles confirms that Watts couldn’t possibly have had a license to transport more than 10 passengers. The bus that he was driving in the Sacramento bus accident case had 46 passengers.

It has been clear for a while that more needs to be done about this unregulated group of bus companies that survive on being below the radar of officials. At this Sacramento bus accident lawyer blog, we have for long called for increased oversight for these companies.

If you have been injured or a loved-one has been killed in the Sacramento casino bus crash, contact The Reeves Law Group. The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of bus accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

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