Yuma, AZ — Twenty-three people were injured when a tour bus in Yuma, Arizona, rolled over on Thursday, January 8, 2015. The accident happened at the Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park.
Very little information about those who were injured was released. News sources have said that the patients ranged in age from 27 to 82 years old. The injuries they sustained in the accident were not considered to be life-threatening.
The investigation into the accident is still ongoing. The bus rolled over as it was turning on an embankment. Officials believe the vehicle’s back wheels may have turned onto soil that was too soft, causing the vehicle to roll as it attempted to turn.
The injured were taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center. One of those was then taken to a trauma unit in Phoenix.
The tour bus belongs to and is operated by Tour West America.
Approximate Scene of the Accident
Commentary
I, as a driver, have certain responsibilities every time I go out on the road. Tractor-trailer drivers have a bigger responsibility, because of the damage they’re capable of inflicting with their vehicles. Bus drivers can be said to have the highest duty of care, because they’re the only drivers out on the road capable of killing 50 or more people with a single mistake. That means that the driver of a tour bus needs to be trained, he needs to know where’s he’s driving, and he needs to do everything in his power to avoid an accident, should he find himself in a dangerous situation.
News reports have said pointed to soft soil the bus was driving on that may have caused it to roll over. I’m sorry, but as an excuse, that just doesn’t work for me. The consistency of the soil may have caused the bus to roll, but that wasn’t an unavoidable accident. This wasn’t a tornado that picked the bus up and threw it down. It was something that could have been planned for. Tour West America, which operates the bus in question, is in the business of running agricultural tours. And they’re not a small operation. A check with the Department of Transportation shows that they own more than 20 buses. They should know their business, because it’s their responsibility to figure out which roads are safe to drive on. If there was any doubt as to where the bus should have been, the bus shouldn’t have been there.
Of course, the investigation into the crash isn’t over yet. And yes, it is possible that something else is responsible for the rollover. However, if it’s found out that the accident happened because the bus was just in the wrong place, Tour West America is probably going to have some tough questions to answer.
— Grossman Law Offices
