DOT Takes Action Against Owner of Bus Involved in Deadly Accident

The U.S. Department of Transportation has filed a lawsuit against the company of the bus that was involved in a deadly accident about two weeks ago.

The February 27 ^th bus accident left 6 people dead and 16 people injured, nine of which were critically injured.

The charter bus was traveling from central Mexico to Los Angeles on Interstate 10 and was near Phoenix when it hit a pickup truck and veered onto the shoulder of the highway. The driver overcorrected, causing the bus to roll once.

Authorities plan to investigate whether or not the driver was fatigued, as well as the bus' maintenance history.

Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, the DOT has filed a civil complaint against the bus company, and has ordered it to cease all interstate and international passenger services.

The DOT says the bus company knowingly operated the bus illegally and was not insured. According to court documents, the company's application to provide interstate commercial transportation services in the U.S. was denied on Dec. 14, 2009, and the Federal Motor Safety Carrier Administration notified the company that it was not to provide any type of interstate commercial transportation services. Furthermore, a spokesperson for the National Continental Insurance Company said the company's insurance policy was cancelled back in November 2009. It is federal policy for these types of buses to have, at minimum, a $5 million insurance policy.