LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A bus with 32 passengers onboard rolled over on the westbound Santa Monica (10) Freeway in downtown Los Angeles this morning, sending 25 people to area hospitals, some with serious injuries.
The accident happened around 4 a.m., as the bus struck sand-filled attenuators at the Harbor (110) Freeway connector and subsequently hit a concrete bridge abutment before going onto the edge of the concrete bridge railing and overturning onto its driver side, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The reason why the 53-year-old bus driver lost control of the vehicle is still being investigated.
CHP officers responded to a call of a vehicle hitting attenuators designed to absorb a crash impact and discovered the bus on its side, according to Officer Peter Nicholson.
Firefighters took four people in serious condition, five in fair condition and 16 in good condition to hospitals, according to Amy Bastman of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Most passengers walked from the bus and seven refused treatment, she said.
The bus was returning to Koreatown from a casino in San Diego County, the CHP said.
A SigAlert issued for the westbound lanes of the Santa Monica (10) Freeway at the Harbor (110) Freeway connector was canceled at 9:26 a.m. The Grand Avenue on-ramp to the westbound Santa Monica (10) Freeway remains closed, the CHP reported.
“Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the collision,'' the CHP said. “The bus was equipped with seatbelts and their use by the driver and passengers is part of the investigation.''
The CHP asked anyone who witnessed the crash to call them at (213) 744- 2331.