CA - Fed-Ex truck slams head-on into bus full of students

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gxm said:
Authorities said the crash occurred when a FedEx truck traveling southbound on I-5 lost control, sliced through the center divider, slightly hit a passenger vehicle and then ran head on into the bus.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/11/6316032/chp-investigating-i-5-crash-that.html#storylink=cpy

That's what it sounded like to me too. That the FedEx truck crossed the median, and grazed the Altima before it ran into the bus head on.
Click to expand...

It was reported tonight that the Nissan Altima driver said that the FedEx truck was already on fire when it went through the center divider. It's being checked out.
 
Yes, I travel this interstate frequently.

The Altima and the Bus were headed North on I-5. North and South are separated by a median. The Fed ex truck crossed over the median into the North bound lane and in an attempt to not hit the Altima head on, swerved and instead ended up hitting the bus. :( Praying for all of these people involved in such a terrible accident.
 
The driver of the Altima said, "I saw this FedEx truck coming through the median and it is in flames and heading straight for me." The flames seemed to coming out of both sides of the truck from behind the cab. She swerved to try to avoid the truck which struck the back of her car, knocking her into a ditch.

She said moments later she and her husband heard a series of explosions behind them as the truck slammed into the bus.

http://www.fireengineering.com/arti...as-on-fire-before-fatal-california-crash.html
 
Thank you for bringing this new info to the thread JerseyGirl.

I found a MSM article as well.

(snip)

The FedEx truck was heading southbound when it crossed a 60-foot grassy median and collided with the bus, which was in the northbound lanes, National Transportation Board Member Mark Rosekind said.

The big rig swiped a third vehicle, a Nissan Altima, before hitting the bus, authorities said.

The driver of the Altima, Bonnie Duran, spoke with KTLA by phone on Friday.

“I saw this FedEx truck coming through the median and it is in flames and heading straight for me,” Duran said.

The flames seemed to coming out of both sides of the truck from behind the cab, she said.



(More@Link)

http://ktla.com/2014/04/11/witness-fedex-bus-was-on-fire-before-deadly-crash/#axzz2yflRFph0



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'm glad the driver of the Altima is able to put some pieces together, they were being skewered in the MSM comments as having caused the accident.
 
Deleted - duplicate post :blushing:
My apologies....

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This begs the question: Why was the FedEx big rig already in flames? Mechanical failure?

I would imagine the driver of the FedEx truck would have been aware of the fire on-board his rig, and with such a catastrophic emergency happening, this changes the dynamic of his actions IMV.

IF he was in the path of the flames (God forbid) then his driving behavior was definitely affected. If not, his decisions would still be affected (panic, adrenaline, etc.).

He is no longer here to answer those questions. :rose: Therefore, it will be up to the NTSB, CHP, and the rest is the accident reconstruction team / investigators to piece together the tragic events leading up to the fire and crash on that fateful day.

MOO: I hope it will be revealed that he did all he could to prevent the loss of life, rather than be found to be the direct cause of so much. :moo:

Again, my condolences to all who lost their lives. I continue to pray for the injured, that they may continue to heal, physically, and emotionally.

For everyone touched by this horrific accident, the scars, seen and unseen, will remain.

:rose: :heartbeat: :rose:


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Was FedEx truck carrying flammable packages? Assuming it was in flames before it cross the median.
 
lisser said:
I'm glad the driver of the Altima is able to put some pieces together, they were being skewered in the MSM comments as having caused the accident.
Click to expand...

When the news of the Altima first broke, I stated that I was concerned about the potential that its driver might make statements that deflected all blame.

Most media reports I've seen thus far have states the Altima was traveling in the same direction as the bus. However, some have reported the FedEx truck was attempting to avoid the Altima. This has convoluted the story, but we see it happen all the time when big stories break. It's sad, but true.

I felt this was the crux of the accident investigation. I stand by my OP - in that I will feel more secure when independent witnesses corroborate what the Altima driver has stated. There must be others that saw a big rig, on fire, crossing the median.

I say this with all due respect. With so many lives lost, so many hurt, it is paramount that the absolute truth come to light. I do not mean to imply she isn't telling the truth at all. I am impatiently awaiting other witnesses to step forward and confirm her account.

It is best for all involved to know the truth, no matter how painful.

I hope I'm making sense. I am going to be a chaperone for my 1st grader's field trip soon. The trip will be by charter bus, and it will be 70 miles one way in Bay Area traffic. I had nightmares about this crash, and woke up in :tears: several times throughout the night and into the morning.

:sigh:




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gxm said:
Authorities said the crash occurred when a FedEx truck traveling southbound on I-5 lost control, sliced through the center divider, slightly hit a passenger vehicle and then ran head on into the bus.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/11/6316032/chp-investigating-i-5-crash-that.html#storylink=cpy

That's what it sounded like to me too. That the FedEx truck crossed the median, and grazed the Altima before it ran into the bus head on.
Click to expand...

kimi_SFC said:
When the news of the Altima first broke, I stated that I was concerned about the potential that its driver might make statements that deflected all blame.

Most media reports I've seen thus far have states the Altima was traveling in the same direction as the bus. However, some have reported the FedEx truck was attempting to avoid the Altima. This has convoluted the story, but we see it happen all the time when big stories break. It's sad, but true.

I felt this was the crux of the accident investigation. I stand by my OP - in that I will feel more secure when independent witnesses corroborate what the Altima driver has stated. There must be others that saw a big rig, on fire, crossing the median.

I say this with all due respect. With so many lives lost, so many hurt, it is paramount that the absolute truth come to light. I do not mean to imply she isn't telling the truth at all. I am impatiently awaiting other witnesses to step forward and confirm her account.

It is best for all involved to know the truth, no matter how painful.

I hope I'm making sense. I am going to be a chaperone for my 1st grader's field trip soon. The trip will be by charter bus, and it will be 70 miles one way in Bay Area traffic. I had nightmares about this crash, and woke up in :tears: several times throughout the night and into the morning.

:sigh:




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Click to expand...

I think it's pretty clear that the Altima was not at fault. It would be quite hard to fake driving in the same direction, opposite of the Fed Ex truck, and having the truck drive across a median to approach from a head on position.

It is this cruel to me that anyone would come even close to suggesting that the survivors caused his tragedy. They are lucky to be alive.

Something happened to the truck. Something catastrophic caused it to cross an entire median and hit a bus head on. It sounds like the driver was being overcome by fire.
 
"I just looked to the left and there it was coming through right at me at an angle. I can tell I wasn't going to outrun him so I just kind of turned to the right and he hit me," she said.

"It was in flames as it came through the median. ... It wasn't like the whole thing was engulfed, it was coming up wrapping around him."

http://www.theprovince.com/news/dea...rying+high+school+students/9732972/story.html

image.jpeg

Witness Bonnie Duran, whose car was hit by the FedEx truck before the big-rig crashed into a bus carrying 48 people, took this picture of her vehicle after the collision in Orland, Calif., on April 10, 2014. (Credit: Bonnie Duran)

Read more: http://ktla.com/2014/04/11/witness-fedex-bus-was-on-fire-before-deadly-crash/#ixzz2yhOXe4al
 
Deadly Calif. Bus Crash: Truck's Tracker Likely Destroyed
By Andrew Lopez and Willian Avila | Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 | Updated 6:14 PM PDT

"Investigators found no signs that a FedEx truck braked before colliding head-on with a tour bus in Northern California, killing 10 people, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman said Saturday.

During an evening press conference, the spokesman also said some of the passengers were ejected from the bus, which was equipped with seat belts.

Tracking technology on board the tractor-trailer was likely destroyed during a fire, an investigator told NBC News."

More with video...

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/nati...-Likely-Destroyed-Investigator-255028641.html
 
i.b.nora said:
Deadly Calif. Bus Crash: Truck's Tracker Likely Destroyed
By Andrew Lopez and Willian Avila | Saturday, Apr 12, 2014 | Updated 6:14 PM PDT

"Investigators found no signs that a FedEx truck braked before colliding head-on with a tour bus in Northern California, killing 10 people, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman said Saturday.

During an evening press conference, the spokesman also said some of the passengers were ejected from the bus, which was equipped with seat belts.

Tracking technology on board the tractor-trailer was likely destroyed during a fire, an investigator told NBC News."

More with video...

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/nati...-Likely-Destroyed-Investigator-255028641.html
Click to expand...

Curious if it is possible that whatever caused the fire burned out the brake lines and he could not stop?

Hopefully the investigation will determine exactly what did happen. The mere thought of driving on the highway and something like this occurring is very scary. The people in the Nissan are very lucky to be alive.

:(

MOO
 
I'm starting to believe that the Fed Ex truck was already on fire before it hit the bus. Don't know what caused the fire, however after reading some of the reports (see below) and one of the students, who was taking a nap on the bus and survived the crash, said he was awaken by screams. This tells me that the people on the bus saw the Fed Ex coming at them in flames. I could be wrong on this, and like most of us here, we are trying to piece this together.


“I was heading along the outside lane. And I looked over and saw the FedEx truck coming right for me and it was on fire already,” Duran told KPIX 5′s Brian Webb.
 
panthera said:
Curious if it is possible that whatever caused the fire burned out the brake lines and he could not stop?

Hopefully the investigation will determine exactly what did happen. The mere thought of driving on the highway and something like this occurring is very scary. The people in the Nissan are very lucky to be alive.

:(

MOO
Click to expand...

Large trucks like the FedEx truck that was involved in this accident use air brakes. If a fire caused a leak in the air brake lines, air pressure would drop and the spring brakes would engage. If the FedEx truck lost all brake air pressure, the spring brakes would have applied and there would have been skid marks on the road. IMO.

All straight trucks, truck tractors, and buses must have emergency and parking brakes. Mechanical force must hold them on because air pressure can eventually leak away, Spring brakes are usually used to meet these needs. When driving, air pressure holds back powerful spring.. If the air pressure is removed, the springs put on the brakes. A parking brake control in the cab lets you release the air from the spring brakes. Then the springs activate the brakes. A leak in the air brake system that causes all the air to be lost will cause the springs to activate the brakes. Straight truck and truck tractor spring brakes will fully activate when air pressure drops to 20 to 45 psi. Do not wait for the brakes to come on automatically. When the low air pressure warning light and buzzer first come on, safely stop the vehicle while you can still control the brakes. The braking power of spring brakes depends on the adjustment of the brakes. If the brakes are not properly adjusted, neither the regular brakes nor the emergency parking brakes will work right.
Click to expand...

It doesn't appear to me that a brake failure is the cause of this accident. Investigators have said that there are no signs that the FedEx truck braked before the accident. This is flat country so there shouldn't be any overheating brake issues that can sometimes happen when going down steep grades.

The witness's that say they saw the FedEx truck on fire before it hit them seem credible to me. I'm not sure why the driver didn't pull over to the right shoulder if he had a fire. For some reason he lost control and pulled left into oncoming traffic.

There's more to this story. I'm sure that the CHP and NTSB with find out what it is.

http://www.ut.ngb.army.mil/141mi/Warrior Webpages/Driver's Training/Lesson 17.htm
 
RANCH said:
Large trucks like the FedEx truck that was involved in this accident use air brakes. If a fire caused a leak in the air brake lines, air pressure would drop and the spring brakes would engage. If the FedEx truck lost all brake air pressure, the spring brakes would have applied and there would have been skid marks on the road. IMO.



It doesn't appear to me that a brake failure is the cause of this accident. Investigators have said that there are no signs that the FedEx truck braked before the accident. This is flat country so there shouldn't be any overheating brake issues that can sometimes happen when going down steep grades.

The witness's that say they saw the FedEx truck on fire before it hit them seem credible to me. I'm not sure why the driver didn't pull over to the right shoulder if he had a fire. For some reason he lost control and pulled left into oncoming traffic.

There's more to this story. I'm sure that the CHP and NTSB with find out what it is.

http://www.ut.ngb.army.mil/141mi/Warrior Webpages/Driver's Training/Lesson 17.htm
Click to expand...

If one of the brakes stuck it would have caused overheating of the brake. I had a brake cylinder go out one time and my brakes failed and overheated.
 
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