Thread: Mexico:Drunk 18-Wheeler driver kills 12 Americans/Canadians

SALTILLO, Mexico - At least 11 dead and 15 hurt after a bus from McAllen crashed in Mexico. Officials are telling Mexican media that many of the dead are Americans.

NEWSCHANNEL 5 has learned the bus was operated by Senda Express, which is part of Grupo Senda. The bus left McAllen and was headed to Zacatecas when it crashed yesterday afternoon.

The crash reportedly happened about 30 miles south of Saltillo on a highway to Zacatecas. The bus crashed into a tractor trailer.
The identities of the victims have not been released, but we are told some were Americans. (Milenio.com has a list of the accident victims. Click here for the link.)

Mexican media is reporting the majority of the victims were part of a tourist organization from the Valley made up mostly of Texans and Canadians. CNN is reporting at least 10 Americans are dead. NEWSCHANNEL 5 is working to confirm the victims' identities.

McAllen Central Bus Station Director, Elizabeth Suarez, told CNN, "We are very saddened by the news this morning. We offer our condolences to the family... The City of McAllen is the landlord of the bus terminal facility in McAllen. Grupo Senda is our tenant."



http://www.krgv.com/news/local/story/Pa ... w6nVA.cspx

-------->>> http://www.milenio.com/node/185027 spanish version states driver was drunk

They should have taken the travel warning seriously!!

Horrible incident sad day for a lot of people!!

I just sent this to Senator Dorgan, this could have just as easely been on a U.S. highway...he needs to make sure this truck program does not go through again....

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

I just sent this to Senator Dorgan, this could have just as easely been on a U.S. highway...he needs to make sure this truck program does not go through again....

This has nothing to do with the truck program nor is it indicative of Mexican drivers in general.

The kid fell asleep at the wheel. He was in a day cab rig on a 300 mile run. He was not drunk or under the influence as some have claimed

Because of his age, he would not have been allowed to run cross border in the first place.

Perhaps Dorgan and others should concentrate on the young, untrained drivers on our highways who cause hundreds of accidents daily with their inexperience.

This has everything to do with lax laws regarding the credentialing, testing and monitoring of Mexican truck drivers....their standards are not up to ours.......allowing Mexican trucks here in the U.S. is a security, safety, and economic issue that would negatively affect many Americans.

Even as far back as 2001, the National Highway Safety Institute had grave, serious concerns about letting unsafe Mexican trucks operated by dangerous, little trained Mexican drivers onto U.S. highways: See,

The Coming NAFTA Crash: The Deadly Impact of a Secret NAFTA Tribunals Decision to Open U.S. Highways to Unsafe Mexican Trucks, documents that Mexico's truck safety regulations are virtually non-existent, that Mexican trucks have far more safety deficiencies than U.S. trucks, that a disproportionate number of Mexican trucks crossing the border have been taken out of service for serious safety violations, and that the U.S. lacks enough inspectors to check incoming trucks. Further, Texas border communities within the commercial border zone in which Mexican trucks are permitted have seen a dramatic increase in highway fatalities and serious injuries from crashes involving trucks with Mexican registrations, the report found.

"It is imperative that we continue to limit access for these dangerous trucks even if it means paying trade sanctions," said Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook. "It is impossible to inspect every truck, and we cannot knowingly put drivers at risk by inviting dangerous rigs onto U.S. highways."

Added Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, which produced the report, "This ruling once again provides a dramatic example of how trade agreements such as NAFTA reach far beyond appropriate commercial issues and threaten vital domestic health and safety standards, even when these standards are applied equally to domestic and foreign commerce."

http://www.commondreams.org/news2001/0206-11.htm

Originally Posted by ccsingleton

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

I just sent this to Senator Dorgan, this could have just as easely been on a U.S. highway...he needs to make sure this truck program does not go through again....

This has nothing to do with the truck program nor is it indicative of Mexican drivers in general.

The kid fell asleep at the wheel. He was in a day cab rig on a 300 mile run. He was not drunk or under the influence as some have claimed

Because of his age, he would not have been allowed to run cross border in the first place.

Perhaps Dorgan and others should concentrate on the young, untrained drivers on our highways who cause hundreds of accidents daily with their inexperience.

SALTILLO, Mexico - The U.S. embassy in Monterrey confirms eight Americans died in a deadly bus crash in north central Mexico. Five Canadians were also killed.

Another 12 U.S. citizens are in the hospital. The Coahuila state police have just released a list of those injured and the hospitals they are in. (It's listed further down the page.)

Identities of the people killed are not being officially released. However, Mexican news outlets and several calls to our newsroom have identified some of them as Valley teachers.

The U.S. Consulate's Office in Monterrey is trying to notify families on this side of the border. They hope to coordinate visits to Coahila for those still waiting to hear from their relatives.

The tour bus, which left from McAllen, was headed for Zacatecas.

About 34 miles outside Saltillo, Coahila, a tractor-trailer hit the tour bus head-on.

Coahuila state police suspect the driver of the 18-wheeler was under the influence of either drugs or alcohol.

The tour bus was operated by Senda Express, a part of Grupo Senda.

The McAllen bus terminal station director released a statement confirming Grupo Senda operates there. The statement reads, "We are very saddened by the news this morning. We offer our condolences to the family. The City of McAllen is the landlord of the bus terminal facility in McAllen. Grupo Senda is our tenant."
http://www.krgv.com/news/local/story/Pa ... w6nVA.cspx


I was not speaking of the driver of the bus, I was speaking of the driver of the 18 wheeler...They do need to worry about these trucks as drinking and driving seems to be part of their culture in Mexico..( I am not saying we don't have a problem with our own citizens, but we are stuck with them)

also just the other day hundreds of pounds of marijuana was being smuggled in supposedly what was cans of spinach...we have posted many many stories of up to 75 illegal aliens being smuggled in 1 semi and numerous stories of other harmful drugs being smuggled in these trucks....

Our congress needs to look at this real close, trade and big business should not be the #1 issue here, Americans should be.

BTW, "ccsingleton" Welcome to alipac!!

ALERT!!!PLEASE HELP THESE STATES!!!

IDAHO:

Bill: S1155 A bill that would suspend licenses for businesses that knowingly employ illegal immigrants and makes e-verifiy mandatory for all business, will not go forward...This bill written and introduced by Senator Jorgenson took the first step in the process in the State Affairs Committee where it passed unanimously. However, Chairman of the State affairs Committee Sen. Curt McKenzie has thrown the bill in his desk drawer and stated this bill is not going anywhere....so much for due process.

We need to call, e-mail, and fax the following members and DEMAND they force Mc Kenzie to remove bill No. S 1155 from his desk drawer and continue forward with the democratic process so this can become law, finish the peoples business and stop stalling. It is what the citizens in Idaho expect of our legislatures...

TAKE ACTION HERE!
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-150025.html


COLORADO

Bill SB09-170 is still alive in the Senate - this is the bill that would give in-state tuition to illegal aliens who can not even legally work in our country. It is important for you to call and email the Senators listed below. Tell them to kill this anti-American bill. It is not fair to give tuition breaks to those illegally in the United States when citizens in Colorado can not even afford to send their own children to college.

TAKE ACTION HERE:

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-146439.html

I saw this on tv and the 1st thing that came to my mind was the accident was caused by a Mexican drunk driver. Keep them on their side of the fence.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6316067.html

Brownsville teacher killed in Mexico bus crash
Authorities say truck's drunken driver slammed into McAllen-based tour coach, killing 7 Americans and 3 Canadians
By MARK WALSH
Associated Press
March 17, 2009, 5:25PM


SALTILLO, Mexico — A drunken driver lost control of his tractor-trailer and slammed into a bus carrying Canadians and Americans touring northern Mexico, killing 11, officials said on Tuesday.

Seven Americans, three Canadians and the Mexican bus driver were killed, said Jose Angel Herrera, a federal homicide detective in northern Coahuila state.

The U.S. Embassy has confirmed the identities of four of the Americans, spokeswoman Liz Detter said. Canadian foreign affairs spokesman Alain Cacchione said Canadians were involved in Monday’s crash but he declined to provide further details for privacy reasons.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to all those killed and injured in this tragedy,â€