NEED TO KNOW
- A packed tour bus collided with a broken-down vehicle on a Los Angeles freeway in the Hacienda Heights area early morning on Sunday, May 11
- One person was killed and 32 others were injured in the fiery crash, according to reports
- The driver of the broken-down vehicle reportedly died after it became engulfed in flames following the crash
One person has been killed and 32 others injured in a fiery crash involving a tour bus and a sport utility vehicle in Los Angeles, according to reports.
The tour bus carrying 63 passengers collided with a broken-down, stationary Nissan Pathfinder on State Route 60 in the Hacienda Heights area of the city just after 5:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, May 11, multiple outlets, including ABC News and the Associated Press, reported.
The passenger of the SUV died in the vehicle after it burst into flames following the crash, Officer Zachary Salazar of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) confirmed in a statement to the outlets. The fire didn’t spread to the tour bus.
Salazar said 32 people were hospitalized, the majority of whom had “moderate to minor” injuries, while two were critically injured in the crash, according to reports.
The identity of the Nissan driver who died has not been released at this time.
Footage posted by the CHP on X showed the empty tour bus leaning to the side on the edge of the freeway following the crash. The front of the vehicle was destroyed by the impact while the windshield was completely shattered.
“Major crash. SR-60 WB, west of Azusa Ave. the HOV, #1 and #2 lanes closed for unknown duration as investigation continues. Updates will be posted here,” the CHP wrote in the caption.
The tour bus was driving from Indio, Calif., near Palm Springs to L.A.’s Koreatown neighborhood, per AP. The tour bus driver was identified as Sui Sheng Du, ABC News reported.
According to a preliminary investigation by the CHP, per ABC News, the tour bus driver slammed into the back of the disabled SUV, causing it to “become fully engulfed in flames, trapping the occupant.” The bus then veered into multiple lanes to the right of the freeway before crashing into a guardrail along the right shoulder.
Bus passenger Joe Runnel told KTLA, that people on board were “begging for mercy” following the crash. “I was thrown from the back seat of the bus to the floor about three or four seats down. Glass was on me…there was a lot of hollering,” he said.
Another witness told the outlet that “everyone tried to stop, but there was just not enough time.”
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The cause of the SUV becoming disabled is not clear at this time. The CHP said no drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash, per ABC News.
Following the crash, the westbound 60 Freeway was shut down between Azusa Avenue and Hacienda Boulevard. Some lanes were opened back up at around 7:30 a.m. local time, per KTLA.
PEOPLE has reached out to the CHP and L.A. County Fire Department for comment but did not immediately hear back.
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