First Men on the Scene Describe Irving Bus Crash
Robert Hare and Ed Couck, two men who were the first on the scene of a charter bus crash in Irving explain what they saw and how they tried to help the people trapped in the bus.
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More than 36 people were injured and two were killed when a private charter bus overturned along state Highway 161/President George Bush Turnpike near Belt Line Road Thursday morning.
Department of Public Safety Trooper Lonny Hashell confirmed two people were killed in the crash. Three dozen people were injured and transported to area hospitals. Officials with the Irving Fire Department said 45 people were on the passenger list.
Sixteen patients are in critical condition while many others suffered only minor injuries, according to emergency crews. The injured are being sent to various Dallas-area hospitals including Baylor Irving Medical Center, Las Colinas Medical Center, Parkland Memorial Hospital and Methodist Hospital in Dallas. The Dallas County medical examiner has also been called to the scene.
Injured passengers who were able to walk were loaded on a DART bus for transport to Baylor Irving Hospital. Baylor staff is calling in extra staff to help deal with the injuries.
Initial reports said the bus rolled over near Belt Line Road and that as many as 40 passengers were trapped inside. Chopper 5 watched from above as firefighters pulled multiple victims out of the bus.
DPS said the bus was traveling northbound on state Highway 161 when the bus drove onto the right side of the road for an unexplained reason. They hit a rubber attenuator and traveled back across all lanes of the turnpike, on to the grassy median, and then ran up and along the middle concere barrier. The bus flipped over and slid on its side.
The bus came down on its right side, the same side as the exit doors, trapping passengers inside. Passengers had to use emergency hatches on the roof and push out the windows on the left side of the bus to climb out, or await rescue by passers by or emergency crews.
DPS also said the highway will be shut down for several house following the investigation to allow the scene to be cleared and spilled fuel to be cleaned up. Drivers are enouraged to avoid 161 by using state Highway 114, state Highway 183, or Interstate 635.
The charter bus is owned by Cardinal Coach Lines of Mansfield. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Administration, Cardinal Coach Line has not had any accidents, moving violations, or Department of Transportation driver or vehicle out of service orders or violations.
"Bodies Stacked on Top of Each Other"
Passenger Dan Risik tells NBC 5 the charter bus was headed to Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Okla. The bus set out from a Walmart parking lot and was heading north to the casino. After the crash, Risik said people were laying on other people, trapping individuals underneath each other.
Risik said many of the passengers are older individuals, including retirees and senior citizens.
Robert Hare and Ed Couck witnessed the aftermath of the crash and stopped to help injured passengers.
"A lot of people in shock, broken bones," Hare said. "A couple of people who are dead. They were crushed under the bus."
"You see this bus on the side of the road, and what can you do?" Hare said. "You just stop, you get out and you do whatever you can to help."
"Just saw this big white smoke. My first thought it was a street sweeper. Man that's awfully odd, a street sweeper," Ed Couck said. "Cars started slowing down and you realized it was a vehicle on its side. And obviously a big one, stopped jumped out and got to the front of the vehicle, you look into see who you could help, and it was just people stacked on top of each other."
Hare and Couck helped pull passengers from the bus.
"Popped the roof hatches and try to get out everybody we could. It was pretty bad, people screaming. There was obviously a lot of pain. It was bad," Couck said.
NBC 5 has crews at the scene gathering more information. As this is a developing story, details may change as we receive more information. NBC 5 reporters Ken Kalthoff, Jeff Smith, Keaton Fox, Christine Lee, and editors Greg Janda, Frank Heinz, and others contributed to this story.
