25 injured as tour bus crashes on 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles
A tour bus carrying 32 passengers crashed into a barrier and tipped over on the westbound 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles early Saturday, injuring more than two dozen people, authorities said.
Twenty-five passengers were taken to area hospitals, according to Officer Roberto Gomez of the California Highway Patrol. Four were in serious condition, five were in fair condition and 16 were in good condition, according to a fire official.
The accident occurred just before 4 a.m. near the 110 Freeway interchange, with the bus hitting impact buffers before ending up on its side, Gomez said.
The driver, Dack M. Lew, 53, was transporting people from the Pala Casino in San Diego County to Koreatown, according to the CHP. Lew, of Los Angeles, was questioned by authorities but was not arrested.
The bus collided head-on with sand-filled buffers and then crashed into a concrete bridge abutment before skidding onto its side.
Officials said alcohol does not appear to have been a factor in the incident, but they were investigating whether Lew and the passengers were using seat belts.
The 2000 Van Hool bus was operated by QH Express, based in Rosemead, according to federal traffic safety records.
In the past two years, QH Express has had two vehicle-related violations out of 12 inspections, the records show. That rate is lower than the national average.
A man who answered a phone number listed for the company declined to answer questions and hung up.
In 2016, 13 people returning from a casino near the Salton Sea were killed when their bus, operated by USA Holiday, crashed just before dawn near Palm Springs.
The CHP is asking witnesses to Saturday’s incident to call (213) 744-2331.
UPDATES:
10:50 a.m.: This article was updated with new details about the crash from the California Highway Patrol and about the bus company from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
This article was originally posted at 9:10 a.m.
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