One morning after a hot crash between a travel bus and an SUV on Highway 60 in Mountain Heights, 32 people were injured.
Authorities were dispatched to the crash at 5:07 a.m. Sunday. According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the SUV was already engulfed in flames when they got there.
The driver of the SUV was trapped inside and could not survive the crash.
The flames did not spread to the bus, including 63 people, including its driver, according to the California Highway Patrol.
32 people were taken to the hospital, at least two in critical condition.
The cause of the collision is still being investigated Sunday morning. Photos at the scene showed that the bus’s windshield completely collapsed and the front bumper was smashed.
According to local news, the bus is heading from Molongo Casino to South Korea. Joe Runnel, a passenger on the bus, told Ktla that he was thrown on the floor in the back seat and people were begging for mercy after the crash.
“The glass is on me,” he said. “There are a lot of liars.”
Firefighters rushed to help passengers and brought the worst injuries into the ambulance. A dangerous material squad was asked to check the bus’s fuel hazard. The Westbound 60 Expressway between Azusa Avenue and Hacienda Boulevard was closed for more than two hours when authorities cleared the site.
All lanes reopen to traffic in mid-morning.
Authorities require anyone who may witness the crash to contact the California Highway Patrol via 1-800-TELL-CHP (1-800-835-5247).
