Crashed bus owner failed one-third of safety inspections

Investigators work the scene of a bus crash that happened overnight on Highway 38 which killed at least 8 people, Monday, Feb. 4, 2013. California Highway Patrol spokesman Mario Lopez said that the number of confirmed deaths was expected to rise because the coroner was just starting to remove bodies from the mangled vehicles and also take away the remains of those who were ejected. / AP Photo/The Press-Enterprise, Stan Lim

YUCAIPA, Calif. The company linked to a tour bus involved in a deadly crash in Southern California failed more than a third of federal vehicle safety inspections in the last two years.

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Calif. tour bus crash kills at least 8

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Tour bus crashes in Calif.

U.S. government records show that buses operated by the firm Scapadas Magicas of National City, Calif., flunked 36 percent of random inspections on their vehicles — in some cases for brake and tire problems.

That's higher than the national average for similar companies — a 21 percent failure rate.

Records also show the company had no crashes in the past two years.

The California company had an overall "satisfactory" rating from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, but records show three-quarters of similar companies had better safety records.

Lettering on the 1996 bus indicates it was operated by Scapadas Magicas.

At least seven people were killed in Sunday night's crash. More than three dozen people were injured, and at least 17 were still hospitalized, including at least five in critical condition. One is a girl.

Authorities lowered the death count from 8 to 7 on Monday.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board was sending a team to the scene.

CBS Station KCBS reports that the bus, carrying dozens of men, women and children from Tijuana, was on its way back to Mexico Sunday evening after a day in Big Bear when the driver lost control just after 6:30 p.m., about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.

Investigators say the bus flipped and landed on a pickup truck towing a trailer. A black Saturn was also rear-ended.

The crash left State Route 38 littered with body parts and debris, and the bus sideways across both lanes with its windows blown out, front end crushed and part of the roof peeled back like a tin can.

One person in the pickup truck was injured. The fate of the passengers in the car was not clear, but at least two people were in the Saturn, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Mario Lopez.

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Investigators will determine if mechanical failure or driver error was to blame. The bus driver, who survived but was injured, told investigators the vehicle had brake problems.

"It appears speed was a factor in this collision," said Lopez.

Crews worked through the night to recover the dead, but one body remained aboard the bus early Monday, said Rocky Shaw, a San Bernardino County coroner's investigator.

Officials hadn't been able to retrieve the body because the front end of the bus was dangling over the edge of the roadside.

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[Mathion]

Okay, personal peeve of mine in this reporting that I believe merits comment:

"... including at least five in critical condition. One is a girl."

What the HELL does it MATTER if "one is a girl"? They're ALL human beings who were injured. Gender OR age shouldn't matter nor should anyone care.

That statement in the article somehow implies that youth is more valuable than age, that females are more valuable than males. REALLY? How about just sticking to the reality that a lot of people of all ages and races and genders were injured or killed WITHOUT emphasizing a particular age or gender or race?? What is so damn hard about THAT?

[ssporleder]

Of course it was in shabby shape - it was from Mexico, just over the border from San Diego!

Is anyone really shocked at that?

[OPMikey]

Tour busses should be outlawed. They kill more people that assault weapons.

[twitchery]

I'd rather have a bottle in front of me instead of a frontal lobotomy. I think you opted for the lobotomy.

[tsigili]

Most of these private bus companies are not being properly checked for safety, and none are being shut down, when found to be unsafe.

I would NEVER ride on one of these private bus lines.

[uffdaron]

A typical big government over legislation with no enforcement. What good are allthe laws and paperwork if they have no one smart to enforce the existing rules? Passenger vehicles that fail 1 percent of their safety inspections should be parked until corrected let alone one third. This is so similar to the whining about more gun control...there are enough laws already to choke a crocodile.. but the government is too inept and meek to enforce. MORE LAWS will not make things better, they just give the bureaucrats more leeway to load up the payroll with loyal big government voters to continue the lazy lack of momentum but keep the crooks in office.

[Trenchant_Commentator]

Sworn California Highway Patrol officers conduct the terminal inspections and run the roadside inspection program. If a bus or truck fails a roadside inspection at one of the state run scales, it is indeed shut down on the spot until the downing dicrepancy is repaired and the vehicle signed off by a highway patrol officer. You can't bribe your way out of one of those, and trying would get you arrested very quickly. I did once cuss a CHP inspector for being a complete ignoramus about front axle seals, but dishonest? No. Try again pal. Business is dishonest all the time every day however.
I don't know how Virginia is but the CHP is aggressive with commerical vehicle enforcement. For Federal inspectors, there are simply too few to catch all the problems. It is not that they are corrupt, they are not in my experience, but there are far too many crooked operators and not enough inspectors, and a culture in the business world of fighting any form or regulation tooth and nail regardless of the benefit to the public at large.