Speeding and Sleepy Driver Blamed for Deadly Utah Bus Accident

A 2008 bus accident in Utah that killed nine passengers and injured 43 others was caused by a driver who was speeding and tired due to sleep apnea, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

The accident occurred near the town of Mexican Hat on Jan. 6, 2008 as the bus carried 52 passengers from a ski vacation in Colorado back home to Phoenix. The motorcoach was traveling between 88 and 92 miles per hour when it failed to round a corner on the highway and rolled down an embankment, officials said.

The 71-year-old bus driver, who survived the wreck, reportedly suffered from sleep apnea and may also have been battling head congestion for days before the accident, which further interfered with his ability to sleep, officials said. The bus driver had been awake since 6:45 a.m. and on the road for about five hours when the accident occurred at 8:02 p.m., officials said.

The posted speed limit along that stretch of interstate is 65 mph, but officials said the driver’s fatigue may have caused him to misjudge his speed, causing the accident.

The NTSB concluded the fatal bus accident was “preventable.” Speeding and driver fatigue are leading causes of serious traffic accidents involving commuter buses and other vehicles across the United States.

The NTSB has reviewed other similar transportation accidents in the past year and concluded that sleep apnea was at fault. One of the accidents was a marine incident and the other was a plane crash, the NTSB officials said.

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