Accidents involving buses that travel from U.S. to Mexico

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Associated Press - May 3, 2008 4:15 AM ET

Here's a look at accidents since 2002 in the United States and Mexico involving bus companies that shuttle passengers between both countries.

Jan. 2, 2008: One person was killed and dozens of other passengers were injured, including a woman whose right arm was amputated, when a bus traveling from Monterrey, Mexico to Houston veered off U.S. 59 near Victoria and flipped on its side. Authorities said the driver, Roberto Garcia Cruz, fell asleep and was driving with the wrong kind of commercial license, both misdemeanors. Lawsuits were filed against the three Houston-based companies identified as either owning or operating the bus - Capricorn Bus Lines Inc., International Charter Services Inc. and Transportes Chavez Inc.

Nov. 25, 2007: Four people were killed after a bus traveling near Earle, Ark. crossed the median and hit a pick-up truck and semi-trailer. Three passengers and the pick-up truck driver died. More than 20 others were injured. Federal authorities temporarily shut down the bus company, Dallas-based Tornado Bus Co. Inc., accusing it of letting drivers exceed maximum hours of service and falsify duty status reports. The driver, Felix Badillo Tapia, was charged with four counts of felony negligent homicide after tests showed he had amphetamines in his system.

Aug. 30, 2006: Two passengers were killed after a bus traveling on a wet road near Piedras Negras, Mexico, across the border from Eagle Pass, hit a guardrail and overturned into a drainage ditch nearly 60 feet below. The driver was cited for high speed, abandoning the vehicle and abandoning those hurt. Two bus companies were identified as owning or operating the bus - Dallas-based Autobuses de Jalisco and Houston-based Monarca Bus Lines Inc. A U.S. federal court ruled the bus companies' insurance policy did not cover accidents in Mexico. Families of those killed in the accident and several injured passengers have sued the bus companies in state district court.

Jan. 18, 2006: A Salvadoran man was killed after the commercial van he was riding in hit a patch of black ice near Green River, Utah, lost control and flipped over, ejecting him. A lawsuit filed by his family accuses the drivers of going too fast and violating federal rules limiting the amount of time they could drive in a 24-hour period. The van was owned by Houston-based Transportes Los Plebes.

Oct. 7, 2005: A bus owned and operated by Autobuses Lucano Inc. and Transportes Lucano Inc., two Houston-based companies, was involved in an accident in Mexico, according to court records. Two passengers injured in the accident sued.

Aug. 1, 2005: A commercial van owned by Houston-based Transportes Diamante was involved in a single vehicle accident in Montgomery, Ala. The driver lost control of the van, which traveled over several lanes of traffic before overturning, injuring passengers according to court records.

Oct. 29, 2004: One person was killed and several others were severely injured after a van owned by Houston-based Transportes Tania was involved in a crash in Cherry Hill, N.J. Liability for the accident was placed on the driver. The accident occurred more than 1,000 miles outside the coverage area stipulated in the company's insurance policy. In 2006, a Harris County state district judge awarded five people who sued the bus company nearly $3.4 million.

Aug. 5, 2004: At least seven passengers were injured after a bus owned by Houston-based Transportes El Mexicano/El Mexicano Bus Line collided with the center median and overturned in Monterrey, Mexico. A lawsuit filed in Houston by injured passengers accused the bus driver of falling asleep and not being properly licensed.

May 5, 2004: Four people were killed and fifteen others were injured after a bus owned by Dallas-area based Autobuses Tierra Caliente was involved in an accident along a highway near San Luis Potosi, Mexico. A federal judge in Dallas in January ruled the company's insurance policy did not provide coverage for the accident because it occurred in Mexico.

April 7, 2004: Two people were killed and six others (all part of the same family) were injured after the van they were in was hit in Monterrey, Mexico by a bus owned by Houston-based Garcia Tours. A Harris County judge awarded the family $1.2 million. The judge concluded that the driver failed to maintain a safe distance, left the scene of the accident and failed to help those injured. The judge also cited the bus company owner for being negligent in her hiring, supervising and training of the driver. But a federal appeals court in 2007 ruled the bus company's insurance company did not have to pay the judgment because the policy did not cover accidents in Mexico.

Oct. 18, 2003: A man riding his bicycle along a highway near Monterrey, Mexico was killed when a bus owned by Houston-based Autobuses Adame Inc. crashed into him. The man's family sued the bus company and in Houston district court, accusing the bus driver of reckless driving. The case was settled out of court.

Sept. 20, 2002: Several passengers were injured after a bus operated by Dallas-based Autobuses Lucano Inc. and Houston-based Tres Amigos Tours went off the road and hit a tree in Jasper County, Miss., because the driver and replacement driver tried to switch seats while the bus was moving at 70 mph. A Mississippi jury awarded 1 of the injured passengers $5 million. The award was overturned on appeal and the case is set for retrial.

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Mexican bus lines being watched after accidents, indictments

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Associated Press - May 3, 2008 4:15 AM ET

HOUSTON (AP) - Juan Martinez says he's seen drivers doze off from fatigue while at the wheel of the bus he takes from Houston to his hometown in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

But Martinez and the thousands of riders, mostly Mexican immigrants, looking for a cheap way to get home aren't deterred by recent crashes. Nor are they put off by recent drug smuggling indictments involving several of these bus companies.

Martinez says there's just no other way for many Mexican immigrants to get to their hometowns.

1 of the allures of these companies is their low fares. Martinez's one-way ticket on Autobuses Lucano costs $70. By comparison, a ticket on a well-known carrier like Greyhound from Houston to Montgomery, Alabama, roughly the same distance as Martinez's trip to San Luis Potosi, costs $128.

Unlike Greyhound, which doesn't go south of the border, these smaller bus companies travel from U.S. cities to Mexico. The companies have small fleets and their terminals are mostly located in Hispanic neighborhoods. While the ticket prices are low, the bus trips can be long. Many of the buses offer such amenities as movies onboard.

Attorneys for passengers injured in bus crashes, safety experts and court records say the industry, while convenient, has a long history of accidents and repeated safety violations, including overworked and undertrained drivers.

But federal regulators and other officials say the companies' safety records are no worse than traditional carriers.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.