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Intoxicated Driver in Fresno Bus Accident – Confirmed

The California Highway Patrol is continuing its investigations into the accident involving a bus on its way from Los Angeles to Sacramento last week.  Investigations have now revealed that the driver of the SUV that the bus struck before it crashed, was an intoxicated driver, under the influence of alcohol.

There were three women in the SUV, and they were apparently returning from a drinking party in Fresno.  They all died in the accident, when the Greyhound bus struck the overturned SUV.  Initially, the California Highway Patrol believed that one of the other women in the SUV had been driving the vehicle.  It has now been confirmed that the driver was an 18-year-old woman who was also killed in the accident

Toxicology reports have revealed that the driver was an intoxicated driver, under the influence of alcohol.  She has been confirmed to have been driving with a level of above .08, which is the legally allowed limit in California.  The driver of the bus however, was not driving under the influence.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the three women had been returning home when the driver hit a center divider, and the vehicle flipped over on Highway 99.  It was then struck by the Greyhound bus, which was on its way to Sacramento.  The bus struck the SUV, and then raced down an embankment, where it crashed into a eucalyptus tree.  Three people in the bus were killed in the accident, and three passengers in the SUV sustained fatal injuries.

The overturned SUV has been a major piece of the puzzle for investigators looking into the causes of the accident.  Initially, it was unclear whether the bus had tried to avoid an SUV that had already overturned as a result of an earlier accident, or whether the SUV had been swerving at the time the bus struck it.

Meanwhile, investigations are likely to get more complex and challenging as the case progresses.  The driver of the SUV was 18 years old, making her a minor, and therefore not permitted under California law to consume alcohol.  The investigators are looking into how the three women in the SUV managed to obtain alcohol.  They are investigating the restaurant that the women had been seen partying at just before they set off in the SUV.  Restaurant owners say that they have strict laws in place against serving alcoholic beverages to underage people.   So far, the restaurant has not been in any kind of trouble with the authorities for serving alcohol to teenagers.

A typical bus accident in California will name the drivers of the bus, the bus company and other entities that are directly responsible in causing accident.  However, other motorists may also be named if they had a role to play in the crash.  Sometimes bus accidents occur because of the negligence or carelessness of motorists, and in such cases, a claim will name these motorists too.  In this case, it seems to California bus accident lawyers, like California’s dram shop laws may also come into the picture.

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 and drunk driving accidents. Please visit our website at http://www.robertreeveslaw.com/. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us at contact@robertreeveslaw.com.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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