San Diego tour bus overturned near Big Bear, 8 killed, 38 injured

Shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Sunday night, a tour bus overturned on a narrow mountain road leading to Big Bear leaving several killed and 38 people injured; some of them critically. The accident occurred near Yucaipa on Highway 38, a mile east of Bryant according to witness reports provided by the Los Angeles Times on Feb. 3, 2013.

When the tour bus overturned on the narrow road to Big Bear, several people were ejected from the bus. CHP Officer Mario Lopez commented that the tour bus accident involved a pickup truck pulling a trailer, and a sedan. There are eight confirmed deaths.

According to Eric Sherwin, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, ambulances came from as far away as Chino and Moreno Valley to help triage victims.

While more information about the cause of the accident, the name of the tour bus, and the names of the victims are still being investigated as of Sunday night, social media sites are providing reports and pictures of the scene of the accident.

A NewsBreaker Twitter report reads, “UPDATE: Rescuers calling for ‘all the ambulanes you can get’ after tour bus overturned on highway 38 near Mentone/Yucaipa CA.”

Another Twitter report says that, “ya up in like mentone on highway 38. I was driving home from my dads and got stopped because they were blocking the street off.”

Initial reports are stating that the tour bus overturned after it had crashed with a pickup truck on the two-lane Highway 38 near the town of Forest Falls, which is about 80 miles east of Los Angeles, San Bernardino County.

As of 11 p.m. on Sunday night, NBC Southern California reports that the number of injured is at 38.

CHP Officer Lopez said that "the bus driver reported having brake problems as it came down the mountain, rear-ending a sedan then flipping over and hitting a pickup truck that was pulling a trailer.... There were 39 people aboard the bus. Four other people in two other vehicles were involved in the crash."

According to Terri Kasinga of Caltrans, the bus was from Tijuana headed back from Big Bear. A member of the Mexican Consulate was at the scene of the overturned tour bus.

During San Diego's 11 p.m. 10News broadcast, it was reported that the tour bus is from National City in San Diego. Attempts by San Diego's 10News to contact the tour bus company on Sunday night have been unsuccessful so far. A total of 46 people were involved in the tour bus crash. Adults and children were on the tour bus.

Next article with video and phone numbers provided by the California tour bus company: California tour bus ‘failed more than one-third of federal vehicle inspections’ (Video)

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