POMONA – One man died and a woman was injured Thursday after an empty tour bus collided with a car near Towne and San Bernardino avenues, just south of the 10 Freeway.

Investigators said they believe the tour bus was heading south on Towne about 8:30 a.m. when it crashed into a 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity that was crossing Towne on San Bernardino, according to a police news release.

The Chevrolet was significantly damaged in the collision, police said.

A 22-year-old Pomona man, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man’s name was withheld because his family had not yet been notified.

A 31-year-old Pomona woman, who was driving the car, was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries.

The bus driver – Housep Antikyan of Pasadena – was not injured. The bus is owned by Van Hool.

California Highway Patrol officers closed the Towne off-ramp from the eastbound 10.

The Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team is investigating the collision, according to the news release.

Anyone with information about the crash can call police officers at 909-620-2081.

Cause of the Tour Bus Accident: The California Highway Patrol has begun their Investigation. Based on news reports, the Tour Bus driver lost control for unknown reasons. It is also possible that the driver of the Tour Bus was partially responsible for the collision. The CHP will undoubtedly investigate if other factors, such as road conditions or negligent vehicle maintenance were factors in the crash.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A Greyhound bus crashes into an SUV that had overturned on Highway 99 in Central Fresno killing six people including the driver of the bus

The Greyhound bus departed from Los Angeles Wednesday night — headed to its final destination in Sacramento.

Just minutes before the crash, the bus had stopped at the Greyhound terminal in Downtown Fresno.

CHP officials say it’s possible the bus driver who plowed into that SUV didn’t see it in time because of its dark color.

But, they are still trying to figure out why the SUV flipped over in the first place which is what led up to this horrific crash.

The CHP shut down the northbound lanes of Highway 99 near McKinley for several hours Thursday … as investigators tore through mangled wreckage and emergency crews frantically tended to dozens of victims.

“I was asleep and we just hit something and I went flying through the air and went over a few seats.”

Six people died and 21 others had to be rushed to the hospital. Denise Esquivel and her son managed to walk away from the accident.

“I felt us go off the road and I just kept thinking like oh my god. This is not happening. We’re gonna die.”

“Some people didn’t make it through, but a lot of people did, and they’re up there in a better place, up there.”

The California Highway Patrol says the series of events happened within an instant.

At 2:14 a.m. they were dispatched to the area for a rollover crash involving three young women.

Another accident involving a commercial bus took the lives of six people and injured many more. The wreck occured shortly after 2am this morning on Highway 99 in Fresno, California. Of the 47 passengers on board, about 30 were injured and 6 died, including the bus driver.

This tragedy brings to light several previous accidents involving Greyhound buses where individuals died or were severely injured as a result of its failure to equip its buses with seatbelts. Although the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been recommending the installation of seatbelts on buses since the 1960s, companies like Greyhound have simply refused to act.

Skid marks indicate their SUV made a sharp left turn into the divider before rolling over and blocking the fast and middle lanes.

Three minutes later, at 2:17 a.m. the Greyhound bus, which had just left the Downtown Fresno depot … struck the SUV sending it over the embankment and straight into a eucalyptus tree.

The bus driver and two bus passengers were killed as well as all three girls … who were ejected from their SUV. Investigators say they were not wearing seat belts.

“We don’t know whether they had belts on during the original rollover and then may have removed the belts to get out of that vehicle before the next one struck, or maybe they never had them on.”

At this point, CHP officials do not think alcohol played a role in the initial crash. Still, they will not say where the girls were coming from at that hour.

Action News was there as a plain clothes investigator left the Starline Nightclub in the Tower District Thursday, where an 18 and over event with a crowd of 200 people was held Wednesday night.

The manager confirmed the visit was related to the crash investigation. And he also says none of his employees recognize the victims.

Action News has learned more about the victims, including the bus driver who worked for Greyhound for 32 years.

57-year-old James Jewett lived in Sacramento. His daughters described him a man who loved his family, his job and the San Francisco Giants.

Jewett’s daughters say he earned several safety awards and was often recognized for his dedication to Greyhound.

They also say he never drank alcohol.

Three of the surviving passengers remain hospitalized Thursday night in serious condition at Community Regional Medical Center. Two others are in good condition at Saint Agnes. Those not seriously hurt boarded other buses and headed on to their destinations.

Action News caught up with some of those passengers at the Downtown Fresno bus station. They all said they were grateful to have survived. One passenger said the aftermath, seeing the bodies of the victims including the driver was disturbing.

Bus crash survivor, Robert Long said, “One of the paramedics came up and asked do we know who was the bus driver could we describe him because they had no clue who was the driver. And we described him and pointed him out, and he was one who was under the bags.”

Robert Long was treated at Kaiser. He said that he didn’t feel great, but was well enough to travel.

The Greyhound bus was headed to Sacramento for its final stop. It left Los Angeles last night and made it’s stop in Fresno at about 2:00 a.m. It was due in Sacramento this morning.

Many families have been affected by this terrible tragedy. Some of the family members talk to Action News about their untimely deaths.

A family gathering takes place at the Solis family home Thursday night in Madera. Food was brought in to celebrate the life of 60 year old Epifania Solis, who was on her way home to Madera after visiting her children in Mexico. Solis was one of three people who died while riding a Greyhound bus that smashed into an SUV carrying 36 people including the driver on Highway 99 in Fresno. Epifania’s niece Julie Gonzalez says their family will cook in honor of her aunt because that’s what she loved to do most.

“We can’t replace that woman; the only thing is that God took her before we were actually ready for this moment.”

Jeremy Aguilar also lost someone in the crash. His fiancée Stephanie Cordoba was celebrating a birthday with two of her friends Wednesday night before the tragic accident. Aguilar at the time was working a graveyard shift. When he later got word of the accident, he went to the coroner’s office where his worst fears were confirmed.

“As soon as they said 5 foot. 111 pounds, thin build, dark hair. I knew right away that was her.” Aguilar said.

Aguilar and Cordoba had a baby girl three months ago. Now he says the love of his life won’t be able to share future cherished memories of their daughter.

“I just wish she was there to see our baby grow up.”

Chris Ambriz and Vanessa Bustillos’ grandfather Tomas Ponce also did not survive. But Ponce’s wife and brother made it to community regional medical center for treatment. Both underwent extensive surgery. Bustillos says it leaves their family feeling devastated.

“You’re just lost. One of the biggest family members of the family. What are you supposed to do?”

The Ponce family made a trip to Mexico once a year and preferred riding over flying. They were supposed to come home for a family reunion.

Most of the passengers made it to their final destination. That was welcome news to loved ones in Sacramento who heard about the accident as they waited for the bus to arrive at the greyhound station.

The brother, Nelson valdez was on the Greyhound bus. He was not injured. A Greyhound spokesperson said Madera was the next scheduled stop followed by its final stop in Sacramento.

Some important facts about seat belts on buses:

• Over the past 30 years the NTSB has issued multiple recommendations that buses be equipped with passenger seat belts.
• Since the early 90s, seatbelts have been required on all buses operating in Europe and Australia and have saved countless lives.
• Of the 60 serious bus accidents investigated by the NTSB over the past 30 years, 11 involved Greyhound buses. In those accidents, 47 people died and more than 250 were injured. Despite this, Greyhound did nothing to research or examine the issue of whether seatbelts should be installed on its buses.
• Although the technology available to equip buses with seatbelts has been available since the early 90s., Greyhound waited until 2008 to request that its buses be equipped with seatbelts. Six months later, it began receiving buses with seatbelts. However, only new buses will have seatbelts and none of its older buses are being retrofitted.
• The extra cost to Greyhound of purchasing buses with seatbelts is only $20,000 per bus. It only cost $30,000 to retrofit existing buses with seatbelts.
• Despite these minor costs, Greyhound has refused to retrofit its buses.

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 twenty years of litigation experience and know how to handle the insurance companies to your advantage.  Remember, cases against the governmental bus companies MTA (bus), Caltrans, BART (bus) or Muni Bus System have a very short time to file the proper government claim which must be filed first, way before the actual lawsuit is filed!  We are prepared to front all costs required for the neccessary 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 surviving 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 California 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 neccessary 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!