Thread: Bus crash in Dallas injures 1, brake failure cited

Bus crash in Dallas injures 1, brake failure cited

By DANNY ROBBINS
Associated Press Writer
Aug 21, 6:28 PM EDT

DALLAS (AP) -- A commercial bus carrying 37 people crashed into a vacant building near the Dallas Zoo late Wednesday, injuring at least one passenger.

The accident was the second in Dallas this week involving Houston-based carrier Transportes Los Nortenos. Another motorcoach operated by the company caught fire Tuesday. No one was injured in that incident.

Wednesday's accident occurred when the bus, traveling from Mexico to Columbus, Ohio, careened into a gas station after exiting Interstate 35. The injured passenger suffered a broken leg after jumping from a window.

The driver reported that his brakes failed, said Kim Leach, a spokeswoman for the Dallas County Sheriff's Department. The accident left no skid marks, indicating that the bus may have been out of control, she said.

Leach said investigators reported that the bus' brakes were so badly damaged that it may be difficult to determine whether they malfunctioned. The sheriff's department has been in touch with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, with the expectation that it will also look into the incident, she said.

Transportes Los Nortenos' owner, Hugo Campa, did not immediately return a phone call from the Associated Press.

The company was given a satisfactory rating by the FMCSA after a compliance review last September.

However, its vehicles have been cited 20 times for brake-related deficiences during inspections within the last 30 months, according to FMCSA records.

A 15-passenger van operated by the company crashed in Scottsboro, Ala., in October 2005, according to a lawsuit filed by a passenger. That passenger suffered massive head injuries, according to the suit, which is still pending.

http://tinyurl.com/6zbqz7

Is this a Mexican registered bus company or one in the US?

Originally Posted by vortex

Is this a Mexican registered bus company or one in the US?

I just assumed that Transportes Los Nortenos was a Mexican company. It also started out in Mexico headedfor Ohio.

Since what time have Mexican buses been allowed originate in Mexico and to operate within the U.S. like this just like U.S.-based companies?