In late August 2024, the Vicksburg Fire Department was called to the scene of a devastating accident that would leave the community in shock.
A charter bus, carrying 47 passengers, had overturned and the horrifying crash claimed the lives of seven people, including a 6-year-old boy.
The tragedy would not only bring sorrow but raise questions about the sequence of events that led to such a catastrophic disaster. What really happened that day?
This article delves into the circumstances behind this tragic accident.
The bus crash in Bovina
It was a quiet and dark Saturday morning in Mississippi, the kind where the only sound is the hum of traffic.
A 2018 Volvo bus, carrying 47 passengers, was making its way from Atlanta to Dallas on Interstate 20 near Bovina, in Warren County. The road ahead seemed calm, but within seconds, everything changed.
Just after 12:30 a.m, the bus veered off the roadway. It crossed over onto an embankment, lost control, and overturned.
Eight killed and 36 injured
As the bus hurtled off the road and overturned, the chaos was unimaginable.
Several passengers were violently ejected from the bus during the crash. Tow truck driver Keith Allison told WAPT that the bus ended up in a ditch, and many of the passengers were thrown from the vehicle.
”We had to get the bus stood up to get it where the bodies had come through the windows,” tow truck driver Keith Allison said.
The late-night timing of the crash may have contributed to its severity, as visibility and response times are often compromised during such hours.
According to the Mississippi Highway Patrol, six people were tragically pronounced dead at the scene, while another succumbed at Merit Health River Region. A total of 36 others were rushed by ambulance to nearby hospitals.
“Anytime you have people injured or killed, it’s tragic, but when you have a situation like this where you have multiple fatalities and multiple injuries, it makes it even worse,” Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace told CNN affiliate WAPT.
The victims
The seven people killed in the bus crash were all Mexican nationals.
Warren County resident Magan Gonzalez shared with Vicksburg News that several families were on board the bus.
”People were trapped in the bus and trying to get out. One young couple was somehow out and walking around,” Gonzalez said.
Among the victims were 8-year-old Kain Gutierrez and his 16-year-old sister, Perla Gutierrez. Also killed in the crash was 16-year-old Angelica Palomino. The other victims included Miguel Ariaga, 61; Elia Guzman, 63; and brothers Victor Aviles Garcia, 32, and Moises Aviles Garcia, 30.
The names were released by Warren County Coroner Doug L. Huskey, following a preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The investigation revealed that a tire failure was likely responsible for the crash, causing the motor coach to veer off the road and overturn. Initially, due to a language barrier, Kain Gutierrez had been misidentified as 6 years old, but this was later corrected.
Which company operated the bus?
The Volvo bus involved in the fatal crash in Mississippi on Saturday, August 31, was operated by Autobuses Regiomontanos, a company based in Laredo, Texas.
With 20 years of experience providing cross-border trips between 100 destinations in Mexico and the U.S., the company has faced its share of scrutiny over the years. It has been hit with lawsuits, driver fitness violations, and even another fatal crash in 2023.
What caused the crash?
Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), stated that a team had been sent to Mississippi to investigate the crash, working alongside the Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) and the Mississippi Commercial Transportation Enforcement Division. Inman also mentioned that the NTSB expected to release a preliminary report on the incident within 30 days, with a final report anticipated to take between 12 to 24 months to complete.
But fairly early on, authorities had a theory about what had happened. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that the crash was believed to have been caused by ”tire failure.”
It may have been the driver’s reaction that led many to conclude a blown tire was the cause of the crash.
”The driver was very upset that he couldn’t control the bus and felt responsible for the accident,” Warren County resident Magan Gonzalez explained.
”He kept blaming himself and didn’t understand why he wasn’t able to keep the bus on the road after the tire blew out.’”
Three or four different factors
When asked about the type of tire failure that occurred, Tood Inman, a member of NTSB, explained that investigators are considering three or four different factors that could have contributed to the crash.
These factors include examining the motor carrier itself, tire maintenance, and occupant protection.
May the light of heaven shine upon all those who have lost their lives in this horrible accident.
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