Sacramento Casino Bus Accident Investigation Exposes Driver’s Criminal Record

The driver of the bus that was involved in a devastating bus crash in Williams near Sacramento on Sunday, had such a bad driving record it was a wonder that he was allowed to be behind the wheel of any vehicle at all, let alone a bus carrying 46 passengers.

News reports coming in have shed more light on the driver, Quintin Watts, who has been arrested for driving under the influence. Watts continues to remain in the hospital, seriously injured from the bus accident in which the bus rolled over and fell into a ditch after it veered off the road. The bus accident in Sacramento left 8 passengers dead and 46 injured. Earlier reports pegged the number dead at 10, but now, the number dead in the bus accident has been confirmed as 8.

Watts was arrested soon after the crash, on suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription or non-prescription medication. Now, the Associated Press is reporting a string of problems that Watts has had in his driving career. The man in charge of ferrying 46 passengers on a casino tour bus had a lengthy criminal record, and his driving skills were bad. Even his mother declared to reporters that her son was not fit to be behind the wheel. In fact, as his mother goes on to report, she and her husband had even spoken to their son about their apprehension at the thought of him driving a large vehicle used to ferry passengers.

Now, comes the shocker. The day of the bus accident, his mother claims, was actually the first one behind the wheel for Watts as he had just concluded a “training period” in which he had observed another driver discharging his duties. Watts has been a truck driver for many years, and has had a history of addiction to drugs and alcohol. His criminal record is extensive, and includes prison time back in 1981 for receiving stolen property. After that, he was sent to prison for credit card fraud and theft in 1996. In 1998, he was arrested for possession of marijuana and a destructive device, and was sentenced to a year in prison, which he served.

Watts in fact, seems to be the kind of person that no sane human being would even hire to wash his car, let alone putting him behind the steering wheel of a bus with the lives of 46 passengers in his hands. This is what we know of Watts, barely 40 hours after the Sacramento bus accident, and we already have more information about Watts than can handle. If this is the driver in charge of the tour bus, can we really assume things to be above board in any other aspect of the bus operations, including maintenance and safety inspections? We know the answer to that one.

Meanwhile, investigations into the bus crash are focusing on Cobbs Bus Service as being the possible owner of the bus. Police haven’t been forthcoming about why they have zeroed in on this company, and they won’t confirm if one of the deceased in the Sacramento bus crash, Daniel Cobb, has anything to do with their investigations. As we continue to track updates on this story on our Sacramento bus accident lawyer blog, we expect to get a better picture of the reasons of the tragedy.

If you have been injured or a loved-one has been killed in the Sacramento bus accident, 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.