Families of Chinese tourists involved in Utah tour bus crash say roads to blame
Associated Press
FILE - This Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, photo provided by the Utah Highway Patrol shows a tour bus carrying Chinese-speaking tourists after it crashed near Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah, killing at least four people and critically injuring multiple others. The families of Chinese tourists killed or injured in a 2019 tour bus crash say the state's design and maintenance failed to keep the remote highway safe. More than a dozen people were thrown from the bus when the driver drifted off the road and overcorrected when he steered back, sending the bus into a rollover. A lawsuit alleges the state failed to post warning signs, had a road design that left little room for error and included no rumble strip to warn drivers. The Utah Department of Transportation declined to comment. U.S. regulators have previously ruled out highway design, signage and other characteristics as factors. (Utah Highway Patrol via AP, File)
SALT LAKE CITY — The families of Chinese tourists killed or injured in a 2019 tour bus crash say in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the state’s design and maintenance failed to keep the remote highway safe.
More than a dozen people were thrown from the bus after the driver drifted off the road and overcorrected when he steered back, sending the bus into a rollover.
The lawsuit says the state failed to post warning signs, had a road design that left little room for error and included no rumble strip to warn drivers.
The Utah Department of Transportation declined to comment.
U.S. regulators have previously ruled out highway design, signage and other characteristics as factors.
FILE – This Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, file photo released by the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office shows a tour bus that was carrying Chinese-speaking tourists after it crashed near Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah, killing at least four people and critically injuring up to 15 others. (Sheriff Danny Perkins/Garfield County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
All 31 people on board were hurt. Twelve to 15 on board were considered to be in critical condition shortly after the crash, according to accounts from the day of the crash. Not everyone was wearing a seat belt — which is common on tour buses.
The accident occurred on the seventh day of a 16-day trip and also included visits to Yellowstone National Park, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.
