Every year, thousands of men and women from other countries take tours of the United States in luxury buses. The drivers of these buses are typically employed by a tour bus company which provides pre-routed tours of certain parts of America for a flat rate fee. The drivers are responsible to care for and transport passengers from one place to another. Recently, a tour bus from Tijuana was exploring Yucaipa in Southern California when the vehicle careened out of control, hitting two other vehicles. The large bus rear-ended a sedan and then hit a truck before coming to a stop with its front end dangling off of the edge of the road. Below the truck was a steep incline. A shift in weight could have sent the bus sliding down the mountain. The passengers on the bus were all form Tijuana and were on a Southern California tour.

One of the witnesses says that he saw many people die in the sudden accident. The men and women had come to California to go skiing in the mountains, but now dozens of them were lying in agony and at least seven of the passengers on the bus were declared dead shortly after the accident. The California Highway Patrol, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Carrier Safety Administration are all looking into the crash. The bus driver, who survived the accident, claims that the bus was having brake problems before he made is way down the mountain. He believes that the bus rear-ended the sedan because of a brake failure, and that he accident could have been avoided if there had been better maintenance on the bus. Research shows that the bus was manufacture din the 1990’s, and the out-of-date vehicle may have been too old to make the large trek down the mountain.

Still, the National Transportation Safety Board has declared that there has not been a mechanical inspection of the vehicle at present. The officials hope to conduct this inspection as soon as possible in order to determine if the tour bus company is at fault for the accident because of negligent maintenance of the vehicle. A blood sample was also taken from the driver to determine whether or not he was intoxicated when driving down the hill. The results have not been retuned. The bus was owned by Scapadas Magicas LLC of National City, California which had 22 safety violations as of last October.

It was reported that the bus had broken windshield wipers, tire problems, and brake issues. The trip was run by interbus tours. The bus driver who as involved in the collision said that the brakes were not working and that he asked passengers on the bus to call 911 as he tried to maneuver the vehicle which wouldn’t top. The bus eventually tipped to its side after rear-ending a sedan and striking a truck that was driving down the road. The wreckage at the accident scene was appalling, but police were able to identify 8 bodies of victims. All the families will more than likely sue the bus company for allowing a malfunctioning bus out on the road without inspections.

After the transportation boards are able to determine brake failure, chances are that the bus company will be held responsible for the entire accident. If you harmed in a bus accident, you also have the right to sue. This is because the accident was not your fault and was the result of a negligent bus driver or poor maintenance to the vehicle. Contact a local car accident or bus accident attorney today if you have been harmed in a tour bus accident like this one and you want compensation. Wait for the professional inspection results to come in and then launch into your lawsuit once you have the concrete evidence that you are indeed entitled to comprehension.