Last Updated on February 22, 2020 by CCAR Staff
A charter bus rolled down an embankment off a San Diego County highway Saturday, Feb. 22, killing three people and injuring at least 18 others, authorities said.
Emergency crews rescued several people trapped in the wreckage after the bus crashed around 10:20 a.m. on the southbound 15 Freeway south of the 76 Freeway, about 45 miles north of San Diego, the North County Fire Protection District said.
The California Highway Patrol log said a person was still trapped at 11:16 a.m. and would not be able to be rescued until a tow truck arrived. The patient’s condition was not available.
NBC/7 in San Diego said the bus was headed from the Los Angeles area to San Ysidro, citing the CHP.
DEVELOPING: A deadly bus crash has killed at least three people and left 18 others injured. Officials say the vehicle veered off the side of Interstate 15 near San Diego, CA ; the cause of the crash has not yet been determined. https://t.co/8d7IPbpFgC pic.twitter.com/QAPfqILxcD
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) February 22, 2020
The bus landed on its roof.
Three people died at the scene, and 18 others were transported to hospitals, the district said on Twitter. Their conditions have not been released. Some of the injured were taken to two hospitals in the Inland Empire — Inland Valley Medical Center and Temecula Valley Hospital, according to NBC/7.
Neither hospital would say how many patients they received or describe their conditions.
The driver apparently survived. CBS/8 in San Diego said the CHP was interviewing him.
The bus is registered to El Monte-based Executive Lines Inc., which does business as Lineas Ejecutivas, according to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration online records. The company employs 11 drivers for its fleet of seven buses. The bus is licensed for interstate passenger travel. This particular bus has been inspected 18 times in the past 24 months and as a result, was taken out of service once for a violation. It was not clear why or when the bus failed the inspection.
The bus has not been involved in a crash in the past 24 months, records show. The bus was last rated in 2017 and was given a “satisfactory” rating.
An Executive Lines employee reached by phone Saturday said she could not comment but took a phone message for company officials.
Traffic on the southbound 15 was severely impacted because the right lane was closed.
#FreewayIC (Final): We had 21 total patients. 18 have been transported. We are brokenhearted to report we have 3 deceased on scene. We would like to thank our automatic partners for your assistance on this call. @CALFIRESANDIEGO, @OFA3736, @Vistafire, Pala Fire, and MCP FD.
— North County Fire (@NorthCountyFire) February 22, 2020
The cause of the wreck was under investigation. Rain was falling in the San Diego area on Saturday morning, but it was not immediately clear whether that contributed to the crash. From 0.36 to 0.60 inches had fallen in the past 24 hours as of noon Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
