Deadly Bus Accident Claims Three Lives and Injures More Than 30 People in New Mexico

A passenger vehicle bus was one of several vehicles involved in an accident early Sunday morning in Bernalillo that left 38 injured and three dead. The accident occurred on I-25, about 18 miles north of Albuquerque, NM and involved the bus, a semi-truck, pickup truck, and passenger vehicle car. According to Time, the car first collided into the back of the pickup truck, which resulted in the driver being ejected.

Shortly after, the driver of the bus, which was carrying 35 people and en route to El Paso, came upon the disabled car and tried to avoid colliding into it which caused the bus to spin out of control. The bus landed on its right side and was then sideswiped by a semi-truck. As you can imagine, the accident scene was horrific. The car which initiated the accident was left mangled and nearly flattened.

When Rio Rancho Fire Rescue crews arrived, they had to use the Jaws of Life to extricate several people who had been trapped inside the bus. Time reported that emergency responders had to treat 38 people with injuries ranging from broken bones to internal injuries. Twelve of those individuals had to be transported to University of New Mexico Hospital and three were said to have been in critical condition. Eight more victims had to be transported to another area hospital and at least two people had to be airlifted from the accident scene by medical helicopters.

As mentioned, three individuals did not survive the crash, however, authorities have not yet released the names of these victims until their family could be notified. Police did report that one of the individuals who was killed had been traveling in the car although it wasn’t clear whether the other two victims were passengers on the bus. Time did highlight that some of those injured individuals who had been hospitalized were later released after receiving treatment.

Sometime after the tragic accident occurred, the bus company president, Jerry Rosenbaum, spoke out on the matter. He said that the bus, which is operated by El Paso-Los Angeles Limousine Express, started its trip in Denver but sadly never made it to Texas. The company was cooperating with authorities and even worked to arrange for transportation to be provided to those who were being released from the hospital. Rosenbaum also said, “As difficult as it’s been for me, I keep in mind that what the passengers and their families have to go through is much worse.”

This unfortunate accident comes as a shock to many, especially those who were impacted by it. And the truth is, the public is also rather surprised to hear of yet another severe bus collision as it has only been a few weeks since the fatal bus incident in Mount Olive, NJ happened that resulted in the death of a student and a teacher.

When a serious accident like this one occurs, many of the victims often don’t know who to turn to for help. These times can be rather tough and financially taxing as medical treatment is often required for the victims who were severely injured.

 

Therefore, if you have been involved in a bus accident in New Mexico and aren’t quite sure what your legal options are, contact USAttorneys.com and let us connect you with a qualified and experienced NM bus crash lawyer. Our bus accident attorneys can assess the case, determine what your injuries are worth, and devise a plan to recover that amount so that you can focus on recovering.