A Texas Department of Criminal Justice bus carrying 12 offenders and three prison guards slid off Interstate 20 after hitting a patch of ice, slid down an embankment and struck a Union Pacific train early Wednesday morning, while en route to Sanchez State Jail in El Paso. Eight offenders and two guards were killed and the remaining passengers are hospitalized in area hospitals.
While the Texas Department of Public Safety is heading the investigation, the NTSB will be focusing on “the environment, the vehicle, and the persons involved. Each of those [will be investigated] in three different conditions: pre-crash, crash and post-crash” said NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson.
While a final report from the NTSB is not expected for 12-16 months, a preliminary report is expected in about 10 days that will not contain conclusions or analysis. “It will only contain factual information that we have been able to substantiate and verify,” Knudson told Digital Journal in an email Thursday.
A DPS Trooper was investigating an accident just ahead of the location where the bus left the highway. NTSB investigators are looking into the possibility this may have contributed to the accident, but stressed no conclusions have been reached.
NTSB lead investigator Pete Kotowski said, “We look at the highway conditions as they were before the accident. There was actually an officer on scene conducting a crash investigation of another accident when the bus crashed. And that’s an area we are continuing to work on,” when asked at a Thursday news briefing if the accident investigation may have caused the bus to leave the highway.
DPS spokeswoman Elena Viramontes said Wednesday, “The bus was traveling westbound and at mile marker 103 it hit some type of precipitation, went off the road and was hit by the train going eastbound.”
At the time of the accident the area was receiving freezing rain and drizzle and the National Weather Service had issued an advisory concerning hazardous driving conditions.
Kotowski said when asked if seat belts would have saved any lives or reduced injuries, “What we look at is the passenger retention system itself. There’s more to think about than just putting a seat belt in a vehicle. We look at the passenger retention, that they have adequate space around them to survive the accident.”
According to DPS officials, the bus had only one seat belt, which was for the driver. The offenders were handcuffed together in pairs, but were not wearing leg restraints. It is believed that some offenders were ejected from the bus.
The TDCJ released the following information Thursday about the offenders who were killed or injured in the accident:
The eight offenders killed in the crash were;
Byron Wilson 34, was serving a five year sentence for possession of a controlled substance.
Tyler Townsend 29, was serving a three year sentence for evading arrest.
Jesus Reyna 44, was serving an eight year sentence for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Kaleb Wise 22, was serving a six year sentence for residential burglary.
Adolfo Ruiz 32, was serving a one year sentence for labeling unauthorized recordings.
Michael Stewart 25, was serving a four year sentence for evading arrest with a motor vehicle.
Angel Vasquez 31, was serving a two year sentence for assault of a family member.
Jeremiah Rodriguez 35, was serving a one year for theft.
The four offenders who remain hospitalized are;
Terry Johnson 22, who is in critical condition and is serving a five year sentence for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.
Remigio Pineda 34, who is in serious condition and is serving a 13 year sentence for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.
Damien Rodriguez 22, who is in critical condition and is serving a 25 year sentence for aggravated robbery.
Hector Rivera 37, who is in serious condition and is serving a two year sentence for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Also killed in the crash were Correctional Officers Christopher Davis, 53 and Eligio Garcia, 45. The third guard, Jason Self 38, remains in critical condition in a Lubbock hospital.
Investigators are still trying to determining which guard was driving the bus, because driving duties are shared on the 250 mile trip.
Kotowski estimated safety investigators with the NTSB will remain in Texas for approximately a week.
