Bus driver under investigation for fatal crash in Utah

Very terrible accident. My guess, this idiot driver, fell asleep. America is a very, very huge country and most Japanese can not understand how big it really is. Now, this Japanese driver, maybe pushing himself to the limit, and all his Japanese passengers asleep from jet lag, very easy to imagine this driver joining them in feeling sleepy and next thing you know, your bus rolls over off the high way and now you have 3 dead and more injured. RIP dead folk and I hope their is a criminal investigation because they should have one more driver at all times, to make sure the guy driving is ok, and not falling asleep!

What a sad and probably avoidable tragedy. I was driving across the Western US to the Midwest a month ago and I know how easily it is to get distracted in this part of the Utah with all the incredible natural beauty all around. Plus, I wonder if the driver was heading West into the sun? At that time of the day/early evening (6:40 PM) with the sun in your eyes, seeing clearly can be a challenge.

Very sad !!! I thought it was a caucasian driver or an old senior citizen caucasian driver ??? Looks like he fell asleep at the wheel.

because from the videos, the front and rear tires looks intact. No ripes or holes in the tires.

"At that time of the day/early evening (6:40 PM) with the sun in your eyes, seeing clearly can be a challenge."

In August, the sun doesn't set until after 8:00 p.m. in that part of the U.S.

It's easy to doze off on those straight and wide interstate highways because it can get really boring.

RIP to the deceased and hope for quick recoveries for the injured.

Highways in the western U.S. are often beset by vicious side-winds and a light bus like the one that crashed would be vulnerable. Can't be ruled out yet as a cause.

Being from this area, I have traveled this road many times from Las Vegas to St.George which is about 1 1/2-2 hour drive (add 40 min to get to Cedar City). I can tell you the drive is very easy with only a few curves that are found when driving through a small section of Arizona. The drive is very boring though between Las Vegas to Cedar City with only a few cities (St.George and Mesquite, NV) along the way. It is very easy to fall asleep and if the driver had a late night or was overworked and had to get up early, it is a disaster waiting to happen.

There have been so many times I have had to pullover and get out and walk around just to stay awake.

Glad to see the power of Utah help with translating for the tourist though. You can thank the LDS faith for that one (aka Mormons) as they send many missionaries all over the world and a good percentage of the population in Utah speak a 2nd language.RIP and a speedy recovery to the others. Too bad you won't get to see the beauty of Utah and you are left with this bad image.

"Now, this Japanese driver, maybe pushing himself to the limit, and all his Japanese passengers asleep from jet lag, very easy to imagine this driver joining them in feeling sleepy and next thing you know, your bus rolls over off the high way and now you have 3 dead and more injured"

CJapan sums it up a little better for my tastes. Boring. Very boring. Few curves. Few interesting landmarks. Falling asleep because he was pushed to his limit? Man, my limit would be twice a year, let alone twice a week. When I first heard about the crash, I thought immediately of the tour buses I have been on and which trip would not absolutely bore me to tears if I had to do it every day. Guess what... there aren't any.

Even on a city bus there are interesting things going on, but ferrying tourists through the desert? I have memories of some hills and some gas-gauge drama around St. George, and that is about it. Come to think of it, I think I slept through the rest of it, but I managed to keep the car on the road.

Yeah, it looks as though the young driver may have been distracted or fell asleep, but these are only 'assumptions' and should remain as such until the investigation is complete.

It is always a pleasure to read news in English instead of Japerish. Thanks Associated Press.

I know tour companies are using foreign college students as part time job of tour guide and tour bus driver during summer. Students need money for tuitions. I think the tour company overworked the student for guide and bus driver.

I wonder if the Japanese driver was living in the USA or travelled from Japan with the tour group. My assumption would be that if he came from Japan with the group, he had jet lag and fell asleep while driving. The direction they was heading on Interstate 15 was North East slightly North of Cedar City so sun in the driver's eyes may not have been a factor here. During these tight economic times some companies skimp and use cheap transportation and drivers who may not be professional and push the limit which is a recipe for disaster. Sad story and ending.

I was only a few vehicles behind when this accident happened. I can only tell you that the sun was not the factor in the accident. I have had so much time to sit and think about what had happened that day of the accident and to all the Japanese people that I met that day. I cry every time that I think of the woman that we tried to save but couldn't. I need you to know that she was not left alone. There were so many of us that stopped to help give CPR and to help pull people from the wreckage before the emergency personnel could arrive. It is pretty far from any hospital so it took them awhile to get there. So many people were trying to take good care of these injured sweet people. We did not know the language but the driver did teach us how to say a few words in Japanese.I was able to help two of the women, and older gentleman that could speak english and a 29 year old man that was traveling with his wife and could speak english and was worried about his wife. We found his wife and she was alive with I think only minor injuries. I am so sad for the families that had to get the call that their loved ones were injured or killed in this accident in a foreign country. I promise you they are in the best hospitals and are being well taken care of. The little girl is in Primary Childrens hospital and it is a fantastic hospital. If any of you know these families please let them know that we are praying for them and for the safe return home! Please have them contact me if there is anything I can do to assist them in any way. jgeorge@dsdmail.net

Betcha' he was texting....

@mammabear - How kind and caring of you to share so many details from a perspective not covered in the AP article. Sounds like there were several "angels" on scene to help the poor victims of this terrible accident.