Victims of Sherman bus crash unhappy with recent findings

Exactly one year ago seventeen people were killed when a bus crashed off of a bridge on Highway 75 in Sherman.  The accident investigation revealed a number of troubling facts.

 

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that the accident happened when one of the tires on the bus blew, causing the driver to lose control and plunge off the bridge.

 

It turns out that the blown tire had been retreaded.  Federal regulations prohibit retreaded tires from being used on steering axles of buses.  Sherman Police, however, believe that as a result of the NTSB investigation the tire was not the cause of the accident.

 

According to police, the force that blew the tire was external, not internal – it was not the tire that failed but the fact that the tire hit some debris in the road and failed.  The tire is only one part of the problem in this case, though.  Consider these other issues:

• The driver of the bus was driving with an expired medical certificate
• The owner of the charter bus company (Iguala BusMex) created the company a mere four days after his other bus company was shut down for unsafe driving practices
• The bus was operating with a temporary license plate

 

Subsequent studies have shown that it isn’t unusual for bus companies to avoid fines and compliance by closing down and reopening under a new name when shut down by the government.

 

Not surprisingly, the families of the victims want justice – but they’re still waiting for it.