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Subscribe to RSSLA GRANDE, Ore. -- Nine people were killed and at least 20 others hospitalized on Sunday after a tour bus veered out of control on an icy stretch of freeway in eastern Oregon and rolled nearly 200 feet down an embankment, state police said.
State police reported that the driver apparently lost control of the charter bus around 10:30 a.m. on the snow- and ice-covered lanes of Interstate 84 and crashed through a guardrail before plunging down an embankment. The Oregonian newspaper reported that the bus tumbled nearly 200 feet before coming to a halt.
Oregon State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings told the newspaper that about 40 passengers were on the bus at the time of the crash, which occurred near milepost 227 on Interstate 84 near Deadman Pass, according to the East Oregonian newspaper.
Hastings told the East Oregonian that he learned the bus was returning to Las Vegas from British Columbia, Canada.
Rescue workers used ropes to help retrieve the injured from the scene. Westbound lanes of I-84 were closed.
The Oregonian said 18 passengers were transported to St. Anthony's Hospital in Pendleton, about 13 miles northwest of the crash scene. Hospital spokesman Larry Blanc would not say if or how many passengers sustained life-threatening injuries, it said.
Three fixed-wing aircraft also were on standby at the Pendleton airport if needed to transport injured to hospitals elsewhere, state police said.
Authorities did not immediately identify the operator of the charter bus.
Oregon State Police / Reuters
Rescue personnel respond to the scene of a charter bus crash on I-84, east of Pendleton, Ore. in this photo released on Dec. 30. Police said the bus may have gone out of control on the highway before crashing through a guardrail and down an embankment.
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That Oregon black ice is rough. It's so slippery you can't stand up on it.
You idiots who want to ban high capacity busses are the same idiots who re-elected Obama. This proves that you all have pea sized brains.
High capacity busses transport many people from one oplace to another more efficiently. Diesel engines are the most fuel efficient engines we have for this type of transportation. The nitwits who do not salt or sand I-84 are to blame. Busses are very susceptible to slippage because of their rectanular mass and high center of gravity.
It has been proven over and over again in test after test that seat belts do not work in these vehicles because a simple law of physics called momentum. Since most of you never took Physics because you had a difficult time mastering 2 x 2 =5. (Outcome-based education), then you could never understand that the momentum of a 55 passenger bus is very different from a pssenger car and the force present would crush the clavicle and drive it into your heart.
your another know it all who obviously doesn't know it all.....They do gravel the roads and have warning sings for miles eastbound and westbound.Traction devises are required in snow and ice conditions .They even have signs telling you how slow you should be going by weight.Anything could of happened no one knows yet....you say"the nitwits who do not salt or sand are to blame" then no one is to blame.In fact they have licenced chainers who work the mountain and chain up required vehicles.
Cat.......... you are very confused. It is the right making jokes about banning everything.
Physics,,,,, really? Momentum. LMFAO
Seatbelts stop people from being thrown out the windows when something rolls multiple times.
Do you want to discuss strand theory? Or why electricity is stronger than gravity?
Condolences to the all effected by this accident. Very sad, so many lost lives. Lets hope it wasnt something that could have been prevented. Its always worse when it is.
Can't stop wind gusts and ice on the mountain pass, even with sand and chains, any more that you can deadly prevent sneaker waves on the Oregon coast.
Sure you can, you can redesign the corner. Put up barriers. Etc etc.
There is always something you can do.
Thousands of buses drive trough icy roads every winter. Eventually accidents happen.
If you don't like the trade-off, stay at home. REGULATE YOUR LIFE, NOT MINE.
RIP, and to the others that use this type of story for soap boxing. Grow up, could be your folks, or relations.
Obama told people not to go to Vegas.
Infidels did not follow orders from the profit, Hussein Obama.
Ever been on a bus? those guys go 70 even on black ice. Driver should have been tased after going over 30.
Only ones who drive worse on the ICE is the police.
They seem to think the badge gives them better traction and bends the laws of physics.
SPEED KILLS.
I hate driving around those stupid tour busses.
Canada to vegas? Really?
Canada doesn't have planes?
That trip must take at least 3 days.
Do they make you sleep on the bus?
"Speed" doesn't kill.
Impact with other objects, kills.
It's about a 20 hour drive from Vancouver to LV (summer road conditions).
Canada doesn't have planes, nope - everyone gets around using dog sleds...
Such a tragedy. My condolences to all involved.
Many seem to suppose that with enough money or enough legislation we can do away with all accidents and tragedies of any origin. Things happen and racing to assign blame does little to actually help. I have ridden on buses of all types many times and never been injured. I've also tripped on my own property and cut myself quite badly. Accidents happen, and unless we all simply lock ourselves inside of a padded room, they probably always will happen.
We are sorry for the victims and their loved ones. To them we extend our sympathy and well wishes.
Very very sad; my prayers to the people involved in this accident...I travel this road back and fourth every year and it get's bad black ice; it's no ones fault it's just the mountains this time of year :O(
Quick lets all jump on the ban icy roads band wagon, before there is another needless tragedy
I had a Winter driving accident on this same stretch of roadway in 2001. The roadway was deeply rutted (ice) and it was obvious no salt was being used. Many, many accidents were along this stretch of roadway. I had driven in Alaska for 20 years without an accident, however in Alaska they know how to clear a highway properly. This stretch of roadway is extremely poorly maintained during the Winter.
HLS-you are a complete idiot!!!!! that stretch of freeway is very well maintained and watched for traffic conditions....safety updates non-stop,gravel, warning signs,snow graders,mandatory licenced roadside chainers for required vehicles.This is a dangerous mountain pass but they were not even to the grade yet.The whole grade has been widened from top to bottom brand new stretch of road.Sorry for your alleged accident but from what you are describing I'm having a real hard time believing that you have even been on this stretch of road!!!!!!!
@onlytruecomment... The big grade is west bound. East has it's share of ups and downs but the west side is the descent that will get ya. This bus went off going east due to icy conditions. A lot of black ice from the blowing snow up there even when the roads are maintained but I have been through there in some lousy conditions and seen the one lane travel with snow and ice ruts HLS is talking about.
To call him an idiot on a forum and question his incident makes me wonder if you are a hack plow operator out of Pendleton. You got pretty defensive over that stretch of roadway.
HLS said " This stretch of roadway is extremely poorly maintained during the Winter".making this mountain pass the most dangerous mountain pass he or she has driven including mountain pass's in Alaska.I am stating this is not a fact.And I will question anyone who ain't being factual....Thank you for all your educational input on cabbage hill......lots of people drive mountain passes when road conditions are questionable like you not to bright.....I'm not being defensive just giving other" intelligent" people on here the facts that are being misconstrued by others.And by the way I wouldn't drive a plow up there for no price...makes me kind of proud of the ones willing to risk there lives for your driving safety.of course I can see that you respect that kind of thing.....And my hat off to all you hack plow operators out there trying to keep people on the road and safe!!!!!!!!!!!!
@onlytruecomment... Well if not for nothing reading your reply made me chuckle a bit. Why? Well I will leave that for you to ponder. Enjoy your travels. Good day.
I have lived in Minnesota all of my life, and while we dont have mountains, we do have lots of hills. And we have the snow and ice. It is very frightening to drive in snow and/or ice. The vehicle can just suddenly slip on the ice or snow, or slush, and the vehicle often becomes uncontrollable. It is very dangerous. I cannot imagine driving on mountain roads, in these conditions. It is sad that this bus accident had to happen and my prayers are with the victims and their families. It must have been terrifying to have been in that bus.
Factor in the fact those buses have some sort of air ride suspension and there isn't a lot of feel for slick roads with the air ride. The way a lot of the tour buses travel makes me wonder if excessive speed might have been a factor compiled with the slick roads. Sometimes five or ten miles an hour slower can be the difference of saving it or losing it. Regardless you have to feel for those folks. That will haunt the survivors for life and of course the families that lost loved ones. Bad day on I-84 for sure.
HURRY libtard hippies, BAN those high capacity buses !!!! Take away the buses and trucks they are killing people.
lets be realistic here people, there were several factors that led up to this crash as unfortanate as it is seat belts would not helped as much as you would think in this case. do your research. if those people would have had them on after tumbling down the embankment not only would they have massive internal damage they would be hanging from them until someone came to rescue so picture that next time you think its a good idea for them to be on school busses which in the state of california they are on all busses manufactured after 2005.
Wow, no reference to Newtown in this article. Thank you.
The bottom line is that icy roads are not plowed steadfastly, totally, or in unison. The driver would have made it with a busload of people, if the roads had been cleared ahead of time. Where are the plows when you really need them?
Faulty transportation management!
Sandy-This is a mountain pass in the winter time? It only takes one icy patch or gust of wind or a little to much speed for the conditions and it's all over ......I'm sure my new friend THANKYOUSOLDIERS would agree!!!!!!!
@onlytruecomment... Well I do know it doesn't take long for it to get nasty in the high ground and like anything there is a budget to keep in mind so to the point, yeah, I agree. They only have so much equipment and a lot of road. Sometimes bad things happen.
I lived my young adult life in Elgin, Oregon, about 35 miles from where this accident occured. Have driven over Cabbage Hill many times, in all seasons. I have driven it in the winter, behind snow plows....and the plows couldn't keep the snow off the road.....it was falling, and the wind was blowing and the snow was piling up minutes after the plows went through. Listen to those who are from around this area. This is a dangerous stretch of road at the best of times. Winter time, it is best to be avoided, if at all possible. Whose fault? Lets let the people who do the accident report decide that. Beautiful to visit, folks.....summer or winter.....high mountain country. Just better know that it isn't a "fun" drive. Nothing prettier than the Blue Mts. of Eastern Oregon.
Terrifying story. You place your trust in a professional driver and the unexpected happens.
i've been over deadmans pass many times ----- it is not a trip i like making in the winter, because with the temperatures experienced there, you never know whether to expect rain, snow, or both.
Charter buses plunging off icy highways don't kill people. People driving charter buses plunging off icy highways kill people.
A very sad story..condolences to my fellow Canadians...
Ok firstoff people driveing buses dont kill people, Instead it was the ice. So lets put a ban on ice. Ice kills lets out law it ,no more ice,no more ice, no more ice. tthere you go retards, that sounds just as dumb as no more guns. Or if you want to blame the professional driver behind the whell, no more drivers,no more drivers, no more drivers. Lets Ban all people from driveing . How many lives would that save ? AGAIN TARDS?
I always laugh at the posters that proclaim their intelligence and deride others by using the word "retard" as an insult.
Retard means to slow or lessen and must be used in conjunction with a noun as in:
"The laughable parallels the pro-gun imbeciles use to correlate some sort of connection between vehicle accidents and intentional homicides would indicate a high level of MENTAL RETARDATION"
Let's ban morons.
Hagen, you're banned!
These crashes always seem to occur coming from or going to a gambling venue.
1. retard 1. A person with a mental deficiency 2. An offensive term used to refer to someone acting in an irritating or generally stupid way
Hagen, nobody asked about your family tree.
: to slow up especially by preventing or hindering advance or accomplishment : impede
2
: to delay academic progress by failure to promote
May the Souls of the Faithful, Departed Rest in Peace. May God Bless their Souls. May God give the strength and courage to the families of the deceased to bear this huge loss. May God give the strength and courage to the injured to get well quickly. May God Bless them. GOD Bless the Americans. GOD BLESS THE USA.
Kevin Valentine Moraes
Mira Road (Thane)