An Americano USA bus was involved in a serious accident 55 miles South of San Antonio, Texas on Highway 37. The accident killed at least two and injured many more passengers. Approximately 38 passengers were transported to area hospitals. The bus had just left San Antonio and was headed to Matamoros, Mexico for a Spring Break trip.
An initial investigation conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety indicated that faulty equipment may have been the cause of the accident. Apparently the drive shaft fell off the vehicle as it was driving down Highway 37 in Atascosa County, Texas.
Americanos USA is a business entity that is related to Greyhound Bus, which is a division of FirstGroup America. Americanos buses have been involved in 10 crashes in the past 30 months. A National Transportation Safety Board (“NTSB”) spokesman has indicated that they are currently not intending to open an investigation in the crash. According to the NTSB the crash does not appear to turn up any new safety issues.
As we have written before in our blog, safety defects on buses are a real concern for the general public and the bus passengers. It is also clear that the Federal and State Agencies responsible for the safety of motor vehicles should not be relied upon to make sure that buses and other vehicles are properly maintained. A San Antonio personal injury lawyer should investigate this accident to determine how a bus that was recently inspected could be in such a horrible accident. Potentially, the bus company, the bus manufacturer and the maintenance company could all be held responsible for compensation to the victims of the crash.
