One person has died and 30 other passengers were transported to hospitals in Redding and Mt. Shasta after a tour bus overturned and went off the roadway north of Pollard Flat on Interstate-5 Sunday morning.
The bus rolled several times, went down an embankment, and landed on its side on a frontage road east of the freeway. California Highway Patrol Officer Jeff Borgen says the bus was on its way from Los Angeles to Pasco, Washington, and it appears that the 67-year-old driver from Yellow Arrow Lines may have been fatigued.
Borgen: “We have reports that this bus was also involved in a collision earlier this morning in Red Bluff. It looks like the bus may have drove into the Denny’s building.”
Red Bluff Police Sergeant Quinton Ortega says the damage in that accident was minor.
Ortega: “He pulled into the parking lot, and as he was turning into the parking lot, he struck part of the awning of the building.”
A 33-year-old man from Fresno County died. Three of the passengers appear to be critically injured. The CHP says the driver, who was uninjured, was taken to Mt. Shasta to be tested for drugs or alcohol, but it appears that was not a factor. The American Red Cross is working with the injured passengers to help meet their needs.