North County Bus Accident Injures Eight

A casino bus on its way to Harrah’s Casino crashed into a yard on Valley Center Road today injuring eight people, one seriously. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, the bus, which started its journey in Seal Beach, was only a few miles from the casino when it lost control near Cole Grade Road.

According to witnesses, the bus plowed through a white picket fence and into the back yard of a residential home. It came to a stop in thick mud, preventing what could have been a greater tragedy.

The bus was reportedly chartered by Harrah’s Casino, and operated by a company Silver State Trailways, who is cooperating with an investigation.

Under California law, vehicles that carry passengers for hire, like charter buses, are held to a higher standard than typical automobile drivers. Under what’s know Common Carrier law, vehicles for hire must carry passengers safely and must use the “highest care and the vigilance of a very cautious person.” Unlike an average driver, a driver operating a vehicle that qualifies as a common carrier must do “all that human care, vigilance, and foresight reasonably can do under the circumstances to avoid harm to passengers or property.”

For injured victims, common carrier law provides an easier pathway to liability.

This accident is the second accident involving a passenger bus this month in North County. Both buses were headed to a casino.

Photo credit: Don Boomer

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Bus Accident in Northern California Leaves Passengers with Minor Injuries

Eight Critically Injured in Riverside County Bus Accident