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Tragedy: 9 Killed After Tour Bus Careens Off Icy Oregon Highway

Dec. 30, 2012 9:32pm Erica Ritz

9 Killed in Oregon Tour Bus Crash on Icy Highway

Emergency personnel respond to the scene of a multiple-fatality accident where a tour bus careened through a guardrail along an icy highway and several hundred feet down a steep embankment, authorities said, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012 about 15 miles east of Pendleton, Ore. (Photo: AP)

(TheBlaze/AP) — A tour bus careened through a guardrail along an icy Oregon highway and several hundred feet down a steep embankment Sunday, killing nine people and injuring more than 20 others, authorities said.

The charter bus carrying about 40 people lost control around 10:30 a.m. on the snow- and ice-covered lanes of Interstate 84, according to the Oregon State Police.

The bus came to rest at the bottom of a snowy slope. More than a dozen rescue workers descended the hill and used ropes to help retrieve people from the wreckage in freezing weather. The bus driver was among the survivors, but had not yet spoken to police because of the severity of the injuries the driver had suffered.

Lt. Greg Hastings said the bus crashed along the west end of the Blue Mountains, and west of an area called Deadman Pass. Stretches of highway in the rural and agricultural area of east Oregon tend to be icy in winter months.

The bus slid down the hill and landed upright, with little or no debris visible around the crash site.

Emergency personnel respond to the scene of a multiple fatality accident where a tour bus careened through a guardrail along an icy Oregon highway and several hundred feet down a steep embankment, authorities said, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012 about 15 miles east of Pendleton, Ore. (Photo: AP)

St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton treated 26 people from the accident, including some who were treated and then transported to other medical facilities, said hospital spokesman Larry Blanc.

In addition to the people who were transferred from St. Anthony to La Grand and Hermiston, Ore., and Walla Walla, Wash., Hastings said. Others were taken directly to hospitals further away, including Boise, Idaho, and Portland, Ore.

I-84 is a major east-west highway through Oregon that follows the Columbia River Gorge.

Umatilla County Emergency Manager Jack Remillard said the bus was owned by Mi Joo travel in Vancouver, B.C., and state police said the bus was en route from Las Vegas to Vancouver.

A woman who answered the phone at a listing for the company confirmed with The Associated Press that it owned the bus and said it was on a tour of the Western U.S. She declined to give her name.

The Associated Press released a video report early on:

A bus safety website run by the U.S. Department of Transportation said Mi Joo Tour & Travel has six buses, none of which have been involved in any accidents in at least the past two years.

The bus crash was the second fatal accident in Oregon on Sunday morning. A 69-year-old man died in a rollover accident.

A spokesman for the American Bus Association said buses carry more than 700 million passengers a year in the United States.

“The industry as a whole is a very safe industry,” said Dan Ronan of the Washington, D.C.,-based group. “There are only a handful of accidents every year. Comparatively speaking, we’re the safest form of surface transportation.”

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Comments (65)

F_Obama
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 1:52pm
My name says it all.

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Gatekeeper
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 12:57pm
The Blaze commenters are mostly stupid.

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- F_Obama
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 1:52pm
  Your what?
  
  Report this comment
- F_Obama
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 1:53pm
  You’re mostly what?
  
  Report this comment
- Joey Odendahl
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 10:37pm
  In case you haven’t noticed, internet comments in general are “mostly stupid.” You think things are better over at Huffigton? Trust me… they’re not.
  
  Report this comment
yougottabekidding
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 12:38pm
A bus safety website run by the U.S. Department of Transportation said Mi Joo Tour & Travel has six buses, none of which have been involved in any accidents in at least the past two years.

One ah s____ wipes out 100 atta boys!
One is more then zero and a good start!

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Watchyer6
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 11:58am
We must ban these “assault” busses immediately. “Demand a Plan.”

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G-WHIZ
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 11:15am
Naaa! Couldn’t be THE DRIVER who was 30-50mph over the design-limmits of the buss on a slick icy highway!!

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- horsefeathers99
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 9:47pm
  There is a reason why it is called “deadman pass”, it’s a very dangerous part of I-84.
  
  Some posters choose to make light of the accident, they are South Korean students, Japanese, Canadians and US citizens.
  There are lives lost and many others survived a very frightening accident.
  
  Report this comment
jessieH
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 10:13am
Hey, Feinstein! Hey, Congress! You gonna ban tour busses, now?

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- repairsea
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 11:52am
  Call her and I bet she would look into it. I was going to ask them to outlaw BlackBerry gear in the government workplace because is a racist name for the president. My spouse ask me not to out of fear they would spend millions doing this.
  
  Report this comment
Uechi
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 9:15am
We need to ban tour buses, bus drivers and snow then nobody would die in such crashes. I’m sure lots of morons in the country would agree.

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- BobtheMoron
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 9:27am
  You people and your misuse or the word ‘moron’ are ******* me off. Morons have measurable IQs. The word you should use in the future is ‘idiot’. Thanks.
  
  Report this comment
vbklein
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 8:58am
We must ban buses, they are dangerous killers. Targeting our children and potentially comitting hate crimes on religious group, clubs and families that travel together.

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Hoax And Chains
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 6:09am
When!??!??? When will our government implement tougher laws to control tour buses? This tragedy has to end. We need more laws!

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- yougottabekidding
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 7:39am
  Their have been a large number of bus crashes with many lives lost
  It always is many injured and deaths. So seriously when is someone
  Going to legislate them out of existence. After all they are not protected
  by any amendment to our constitution, or any profound reason to do
  so.
  Believe me I certainly do not think that what happened in CT makes
  any sense, except it has happened more in the last four years.
  I wonder what that means. Seems to be a lot more people think they
  have the permission to do what they want. It starts from the top
  
  Report this comment
- nocommie
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 7:43am
  I agree.Wheres Fienstien,Wheres Bloomberg.We need to ban buses.O wait,how will Obama voters get to the poles?How will union thugs vote out of state or get to protest events?
  
  Report this comment
- TROONORTH
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 9:03am
  Here come the celebrities with their ‘NO BUS’ video.
  
  Report this comment
beer4me
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 5:45am
Time to ban ice/snow, buses, and Oregon. They are all dangerous.

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- M24
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 6:40am
  Copy That , We Must Ban Everything That Might Be Harmful To Us ,Libs Get The Picture On How Stupid You Are !!!
  
  Report this comment
dumpdabums
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 4:39am
The driver did a great job with only nine fatalities, it could have been a lot worse, but I am sure that the lawyers are going to have a field day with him.. The Insurance companies and of course the tour bus company will be taken to the mat for a tragic accident.. The lawyers will be the winners as usual..

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- yougottabekidding
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 9:11am
  You are kidding right?
  Just what the heck do you think the driver did a good job of?
  99% to 1% he was speeding. I have never had to pass a bus, usually I have to get out of the way at 65mph!
  Second point once he lost it was divine providence that saved peoples lives it was a, what 10 ton?, missile that was not controllable in any way. A rock at the right place that would have caused a major roll over would have been the changing factor. Until proven otherwise I’ll bet the driver was at fault! Speeding or too fast for conditions!
  
  Report this comment
- Hiswill
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 1:04pm
  This road is very scary even in the summer time. It’s very steep and has tight turns. I refuse to use it in the winter because the snow and ice just doubles the danger and if you miss a turn it’s a long way down.
  
  Report this comment
N37BU6
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 1:02am
“A tour bus careened through a guardrail along an icy Oregon highway and several hundred feet down a steep embankment Sunday, killing nine people and injuring more than 20 others, authorities said”

Several hundred feet? Unless I’m missing something, that’s an exaggeration. Judging from the photo, and the average length of a tour bus, (I over estimated to 40 feet to be safe) it’s not much more than 4 bus lengths (160 feet) from where it went over the guard rail.

Just sayin’…

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- Kupo
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 5:57am
  I’m sure the 9 people who died appreciate the correction…
  
  Report this comment
- mtonepa
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 8:53am
  media has to sensationalize the story to try and benefit from a tragedy. they are a worthless enemy of freedom.
  
  Report this comment
- ree2138
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 11:08am
  You obviously don’t live in Oregon.
  
  Report this comment
- F_Obama
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 1:51pm
  Your estimation is incorrect.
  
  Report this comment
- N37BU6
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 3:49pm
  Kupo: I’m sure the families don’t like the death of their loved ones being sensationalized.
  
  F_Obama: Actually, it’s pretty accurate. I used Photoshop CS5 and did a measurement using a warp mesh to take lateral depth into account as well. I used the difference in size of the people in the foreground and background as references. It can’t be off more than 20%.
  
  I took 2 minutes of my life to verify what my own brain was telling me, and I’m getting flak from people who are too dim to notice or care in the first place.
  
  This is one tiny example of how the “authorities” are made up of stupid people, just like every other facet of society.
  
  Report this comment
- N37BU6
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 4:18pm
  Just checked a topographical map:
  
  Roadway = 961m AMSL
  Crash location = 912m AMSL
  
  That’s a difference of 49 meters, or 160 feet. But I can’t say I’m surprised, as a simple visual measurement using the bus is pretty foolproof and accurate.
  
  Bottom line is, the official story is either lazy or sensationalized. THAT is what’s disrespectful, not me pointing it out.
  
  Report this comment
- Kupo
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 4:42pm
  That’s not sensationalism.
  
  Report this comment
- N37BU6
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 5:24pm
  “Careened”
  “Plunged”
  
  These are sensational words… add to that an exaggeration of the fall, and you have a modern sensationalized news story. Or at least the attention-grabbing headline. Tragedies are covered more like sports scores now. Both have their own little catch-phrases and tailored deliveries.
  
  Sorry, but it’s true. Maybe you’re just so used to it you don’t notice anymore.
  
  Report this comment
TheBurningTruth
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 12:49am
I guess the bus driver will first refuse to testify until after the investigation is done. Then he’ll still be suffering from a concussion followed up by a blood clot. Oh, sorry, he’s not a Progressive Liberal elitist that can get away with abetting murder with endless excuses.

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powedj
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 12:48am
It’s George Bush’s fault.

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Ducky 1
Posted on December 31, 2012 at 12:43am
Locals call this Cabbage Hill. It has a bad reputation in good weather so it is extra dangerous in the winter. So sad for those who lost love ones and for those injured.

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- Gatekeeper
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 12:49pm
  I know full well the reputation of cabbage hill. To bad the commenters on The Blaze are mostly cynical jerks.
  
  Report this comment
Protech64
Posted on December 30, 2012 at 11:41pm
Time to limit these high capacity buses. They should be limited to 10 people.
These senseless bus deaths must be stopped

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- bava
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 12:43am
  The predictability of Blazeholes like yourself is becoming boring. All I had to do was look at the headline and I’m a mindreader.
  
  Report this comment
- TheBurningTruth
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 12:45am
  Yeah, they also need to get rid of the “auto” feature of the transmission. Manuals only from here on in.
  
  Report this comment
- Desertcatn
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 3:58am
  Bava, Pro is only using the same logic, in a humorous way, that the libs employ, when they try to use tragedies to increase government size and power. There’s always the HuffPost, if you find it unpleasant here.
  
  Report this comment
- yougottabekidding
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 3:00pm
  bava
  Employing the same stupid logic you liberal jerks use does get boring doesn’t it! Don’t like it do you?
  We are just as tired of it as you are, but you don’t quit being stupid. So why should we stop using your idiotic logic
  
  Report this comment
Protech64
Posted on December 30, 2012 at 11:37pm
This is not the first bus crash that has had multiple deaths. The Liberals should call for a Ban on buses or at the least limit the bus capacity to 10 people.

Enough of these senseless deaths

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Politijack
Posted on December 30, 2012 at 11:33pm
I take my family to camp in that are every few years ..summer time of course,some of the best camping in the NW in that area :).

Deadmans pass in the Blues is always a tough pull even for my Diesel and a 26` trail lite trailer.I cant imagine how tough that area is in the winter with slick roads.
If that bus didnt have chains that carrier is gonna be in deep ****.

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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on December 30, 2012 at 11:02pm
God be with the families of those who died.

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AmericanStrega
Posted on December 30, 2012 at 10:26pm
I know this area. Driven through it many times during all seasons. Winter and spring are the worse times. Beautiful drive, but watch out for bad weather. It creeps up when you least expect it.

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- SingerGuy
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 3:12am
  This is known as “Cabbage Hill” to locals and is notorious for its changing conditions. It is possible to enter the area with one kind of road condition and leave in another. I have climbed this hill in a passenger car and started out at the bottom with dry roads and had to stop before the top and chain up. It’s easy to just blame the driver straight away, but I will hold off judgment until after the investigation.
  
  Report this comment
- JeffMT
  Posted on December 31, 2012 at 1:42pm
  I was born and raised in Montana and have lived here most of my life here. I learned how to drive on snow and ice forty years ago and have made many, many winter-time trips over the mountains here on bad roads. I lived in eastern Oregon for about five years and therefore made a number of trips over Cabbage Hill during all the seasons. Without question the worst winter driving road conditions I have ever driven on was on one of those trips from Pendleton to LaGrande in January.
  
  It was bad enough going up the hill in the morning but absolutely horrible coming back and down the hill in the evening. I still thank God I made it across that stretch and down that hill that night. I also still wonder why the road was even open – but it was. I had a four-wheel drive and was not going more than 10 mph for about two hours and my biggest fear was that even going that slow that if I started sliding I would not be able to get around one of those curves and would go down over the side and have no way to stop. I drove on the shoulders the whole way down because there was plowed/loose snow over there and I could use it to slow me down and give me some semblance of steering. When I heard about this accident involving a bus sliding down a hillside I knew immediately where it was without having to hear it. This is one of the most dangerous stretches of road, even in the summer when it is dry, in the country!
  
  Report this comment
Diego Roswell
Posted on December 30, 2012 at 10:12pm
The following is sarcasm (for those liberals that cannot or will not discern the difference): The federal government needs to regulate and outlaw any motor vehicle capable of carrying, and therefore, killing more than 4 passengers at a time. These so called “high capacity” automobiles are dangerous in the hands of the mentally ill, elderly, sleepy, and intoxicated. Why, even the occasional accidental misuse of these “high capacity” automobiles can cause massive deaths. This can not stand.

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- DadRocked
  Posted on December 30, 2012 at 10:17pm
  Sad to have to put in the disclaimer but too many ‘maroons’ would be all over this post…
  
  Report this comment
- RaydocX
  Posted on December 30, 2012 at 10:39pm
  my thinking exactly, from the it’s sad for those dead and their families, but the anti-gun crowd is still standing on the little corpses of those 6 and 7 year olds and their teachers, shouting about the evil of all guns…
  
  this would have to raise similar concern for the bus or the speed limit or the weather… but cold kind of argues against global warming… have to go with that ‘climate change’ rubric that means nothing.
  
  Report this comment
DadRocked
Posted on December 30, 2012 at 10:11pm
WOW…
Look at the pics close and read the article.
The coach did not roll but went front down until it had stopped.
Basically straight down… THAT DRIVER SAVED A LOT OF LIVES…
40 on board – 9 dead – 20 injured… 11 uninjured…

I prayed for the 9 upon completion of reading the article but WOW… SO many survived…
Ever ride in a tour coach? Seat belts available? Probably not…

That driver did a magnificient job of this…

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- chips1
  Posted on December 30, 2012 at 10:30pm
  The driver wasn’t in control of anything just prior to hitting the guardrail. Momentum and gravity did the rest. Looking at the marks starting near the tree near the top, the bus was sideways and the first picture indicates it rolled at least once.
  
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- johnsell
  Posted on December 30, 2012 at 11:20pm
  You must be left leaning to try and give kudos to the driver for anything except recklessly killing at least 9 and injuring 20 others for his inability to recognize and control his bus under extreme conditions. I’m a bus driver and I can tell you that if he wasn’t chained up and going slow enough to control his vehicle and felt confident about continuing, then he is guilty of manslaughter, as sure as those people lost their lives due to his carelessness. End of story!
  
  Report this comment
SmellyDog
Posted on December 30, 2012 at 9:59pm
Add your comments

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- DadRocked
  Posted on December 30, 2012 at 10:21pm
  Welcome DAWG!
  Read your comments and you’ll be a welcome addition here…
  
  Good post on Hillary’s ‘brain’…
  For those that missed it, it is right on the money:
  
  If she plays dead long enough, Benghazi will be forgotten or swept under the rug. Then when she recovers, she can appear on all the liberal morning news shows. There they will love and coddle her. Then she can talk of her life changing experience. She has so much in common with the little people with illness and injury. This was damage control designed by the left, also with great publicity for Hil.
  
  Report this comment
Lordchamp
Posted on December 30, 2012 at 9:57pm
No, it was the fault of the ice. Ban ice.

My thoughts and prayers to the families.

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RLTW
Posted on December 30, 2012 at 9:44pm
Seriously very sad, sarcastically tour buses should be band.

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- chips1
  Posted on December 30, 2012 at 10:20pm
  If people knew the real truth about tour bus inspections, they wouldn’t even want them on the same roads. 60 to 70% are out of service due to conditions, however are allowed to keep operating.
  
  Report this comment

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