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NTSB Releases Fatal Bus Accident Investigation Report

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its report on the causes of the deadly bus accident that killed 17 people in Texas last year. The agency has determined that tire failure was the main factor in the accident.  Meanwhile, families of victims who died in the crash are asking Congress to work quickly to implement the agency’s recommendations.

The agency has also made a series of recommendations to federal agencies to prevent such accidents. The agency report says that the probable cause of the bus crash was the failure of the right steering axle tire because of low pressure, which resulted in tread separation and contributed to loss of control over the bus. The agency found that a defective bridge railing failed to protect the bus. The agency also blamed the lack of passenger restraints for the high number of fatalities and catastrophic injuries in the accident.

On August 8^th 2008, the motor coach left Houston with 55 and on board. The passengers were mainly Vietnamese Catholics traveling to a religious festival in Missouri. About 4 ½ hours after the departure, the bus suffered a tire failure as it approached the bridge. The driver lost control of the bus, which was traveling at about 68 mph.   The bus crashed through the bridge railing and off the bridge, falling 8 feet. It continued to slide on its side for about 24 feet before finally coming to a stop. 17 passengers died in the accident. 38 passengers and the driver were injured. Several of the passengers suffered catastrophic injuries.

The NTSB accident investigation report cites the following safety issues

• Tire failure and the need for monitoring tire pressure on vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds using monitoring systems.
• The need for proper criteria for secure bridge railings
• The lack of oversight of commercial vehicle inspections
• Lack of passenger protection systems for occupants in a motor coach
• Problems with federal safety oversight of new carriers

The NTSB has made recommendations to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. The agency also stressed five previous recommendations that it had made to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, regarding drug and alcohol tests on drivers and passenger restraint systems.

California bus accident lawyers are very discouraged at the slow pace at which the NTSB recommendations have been taken up by federal transportation agencies. For instance, the NTSB back in the 1960s, recommended seatbelt rules for motor coaches. However, the FMCSA has been content to drag its feet on these recommendations.

Compulsory seatbelts for bus passengers and better oversights of bus inspections could have prevented this accident, or at least minimized the numbers of deaths and serious injuries. It’s time that our federal agencies take bus safety seriously, and make the changes that are long overdue.

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.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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