A bus driver died and nine students were injured Monday when a school bus went off a road and lodged in an embankment in northern New Mexico, authorities said Monday.

The driver died at the scene of the crash that investigators said might have been caused by a medical event.

Initial reports indicated the bus had rolled over, but authorities later said that was not true.

The bus carrying nine elementary, middle and high school students crashed off State Road 111 near La Madera in Carson National Forest, Rio Arriba County sheriff’s spokesman Jake Arnold said.

The mountainous, isolated area is popular for hunting, hiking and camping.

Two of the students who attend schools in the tiny, rural school district of Mesa Vista had broken bones.

“It is a tragedy and we are very saddened by events today,” district superintendent Tracie Phillips said. “We are providing counseling for all of students, including those involved in the crash.”

It was not clear if the driver, Pat Valdez, 69, might have had had a heart attack and later died from the crash, authorities said.

“We don’t know if the driver died from a medical event, died from the crash or died from a combination of both,” Arnold said.

The Office of the Medical Investigator will determine the cause of death, he said.

Eight students were taken to Espanola Hospital for treatment. Six were treated and released while two others were transported to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, Espanola Hospital spokeswoman Niki Allcorn said.

One student was airlifted to UNM hospital from the scene, Allcorn said.

An 8-year-old suffered a broken back and 16-year-old had a broken jaw, authorities said.

School officials say the students were headed to Ojo Caliente Elementary, Mesa Vista Middle and Mesa Vista High schools from Vallecitos in northern Rio Arriba County.

Images from a KOB-TV helicopter showed the bus lodged in an embankment. It appears to have gone off a cliff around 15 miles from the schools in Ojo Caliente, a resort town known for its hot springs. The roads are surrounded by mesas, sagebrush and rocky terrain.

An investigation of the crash was ongoing by the Rio Arriba Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State Police. Authorities blocked off access to roads leading to the crash site.

The isolated Mesa Vista Consolidated School District is located in El Rito and is around 120 miles north of Albuquerque. It has an enrollment of close to 400 students.

Bus Accidents and Personal Injury Liability

Demand accountability from those responsible for the bus accidents.  A bus driver is a “common carrier” who owes you the “highest duty of care!”  Many times the insurance companies for the bus companies (i.e., many times they are “self insured”) will play “hardball” if you try to settle the case yourself or you have employed a lawyer who does not have the litigation experience to handle such a complex bus case.  We at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler have over twenty-five years of litigation experience and know how to handle the insurance companies to your advantage.    We are prepared to front all costs required for the necessary investigation and expert witnesses needed to prepare your case for trial as well as file all government claims.  Unfortunately, the reality is that most bus accident victims usually sustain serious/catastrophic injuries which many times results in death.  Over the past twenty years attorney Gary A Kessler has a proven successful track record demanding accountability from the responsible parties and obtaining outstanding results for his clients.

The laws regarding bus accident cases are complex and include many facets of the law.  It is vital to  family members to seek the advice of an experienced bus accident lawyer such as Gary A Kessler at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler to protect your rights and those of your loved ones.

The  bus accident attorney Gary A Kessler and the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler are compassionate and fully understand that you are attempting to cope with serious injuries associated with a bus accident.  Such bus accidents can lead to catastrophic injuries or even death.  The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler carefully selects its wrongful death and bus accident cases so that we may give you (the client) the substantial personal attention necessary to obtain a successful result for your bus accident case.

The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler is prepared to front all costs required for a thorough investigation and top expert witnesses to prepare for the trial of your case.  As in all bus accident and serious personal injury cases, we advance all legal costs to prepare and present our client’s claim, and receive for our services only a percentage of what we recover for our attorney fees on their behalf.  Upon settlement our costs shall be reimbursed to us from the gross recovery.  If there is no recovery, no attorneys fees or costs are owed to our firm.  Contact the Law Offices of  Gary A Kessler today so we can preserve the evidence and demand compensation and accountability from the responsible party.

If you have been seriously injured or a family member sustained fatal injuries involving a bus, you need to contact the Law Offices of  Gary A Kessler or another experienced law firm immediately to protect your legal rights and preserve the evidence.  Claims for damages against a public entity or governmental entity are complex and they have “strict time limitations”.  So do not delay and contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler today!