2015 — Jan 14–TX Corrections Dept. Prison Bus skids off icy I-20, hits Train ~Penwell, TX- 10

–10  Associated Press. “10 Killed in Prison Bus Crash in West Texas: Officials.” 1-15-2015.

–10  Associated Press. “At Least 10 Killed in Texas When Prison Bus Strikes Train.” 1-14-2015

–10  NTSB. Highway Preliminary Report, Penwell, TX. Date adopted 1-29-2015.

–10  Reuters. “At least 10 killed when Texas prison bus hit by train: reports.” 1-14-2015.

 

NTSB: “On January 14, 2015, about 7:50 a.m. (local time), a 2015 Bluebird prisoner transport bus operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice was traveling westbound on Interstate 20 (I-20) near Penwell, Texas [1]. The bus — occupied by three corrections officers and 12 inmates — was en route from the Middleton Corrections Facility in Abilene, Texas, to the Sanchez Facility in El Paso, Texas. The bus had departed from Abilene at about 4:40 a.m., and, after traveling for approximately 3 hours, was approaching a highway overpass on I-20 which crossed over a set of railroad tracks. A freight train, with four locomotives and 58 cars, operated by the Union Pacific (UP) Railroad occupied the tracks. The train was en route from Los Angeles, California, to Marion, Arkansas, and was traveling at 45 mph, which was below the maximum authorized speed for that area.

 

“On the previous day, the 225-foot-long metal beam guardrail leading up to the overpass was damaged in a vehicle collision. The Texas Department of Transportation responded, photographed the damage and placed traffic cones in the area.

 

“Early on the morning of January 14, three additional crashes, attributed to icy road conditions, occurred, with the last crash taking place about 7:35 a.m. In two of these crashes, an eastbound vehicle went out of control, crossed the center median, and traveled through the area of the previously damaged guardrail — possibly displacing it partially into the left traffic lane. A witness in a vehicle traveling forward of the bus reported that moments before the bus reached the overpass the guardrail wreckage was about 2 feet into the travel lane.

 

“As the bus, which was in the left lane of travel, approached the section of guardrail laying in the roadway, it was following behind a tractor-semitrailer combination while passing a slower moving tractor-semitrailer combination vehicle. The bus struck the guardrail, veered to the left, and overrode the guardrail wreckage in the median. The bus traveled about 22 feet across the earthen median into an opening between the eastbound and westbound traffic lanes of I-20. The bus encountered a 21-foot embankment and became airborne. The bus struck the base of the embankment and continued forward toward the railroad tracks, where it impacted the fifty-fourth rail car and side of a piggy-back trailer of the UP train.

 

“As a result of the crash, two corrections officers and eight inmates died. The remaining five bus occupants were seriously injured and transported to the Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, Texas, for treatment….

 

“I-20 is a four-lane (two in each direction) interstate with a grassy median and a posted speed limit of 75 mph.

 

“Probable Cause. The information in this report is preliminary and will be supplemented or corrected during the course of the investigation.​” (National Transportation Safety Board. Highway Preliminary Report, Penwell, TX. Date adopted 1-29-2015.)

 

Jan 14, AP: “At least 10 people were killed Wednesday when a bus carrying state prisoners skidded off an icy highway overpass in West Texas, slid down an embankment and collided with a passing train, a county sheriff said. The overpass on Interstate 20 was slick with ice Wednesday morning when the Texas Department of Criminal Justice bus left the roadway just west of Odessa, according to Ector County Sheriff Mark Donaldson. Justice Department spokesman Jason Clark said the bus was carrying 12 prisoners and three corrections officers, and was taking the inmates from a prison in Abilene to another in El Paso.

 

“The Union Pacific train was carrying freight and came to a stop shortly after being struck. Two employees on the train were not injured.” (Associated Press. “At Least 10 Killed in Texas When Prison Bus Strikes Train.” 1-14-2015.)

 

Jan 14, Reuters: “Austin, Texas (Reuters) — A Texas prison bus carrying 15 people veered off a road and was hit by train on Wednesday [Jan 14], prison officials said, with local media saying at least 10 people were killed in the accident. The bus with 12 inmates and three corrections officers was traveling from Abilene to El Paso when it skidded off a highway and ended up on railroad tracks, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said based on preliminary reports. The accident took place near the western Texas city of Odessa.

 

“Officials at the scene reported at least 10 people were killed, the local CBS affiliate and the Odessa American newspaper reported. The state’s Department of Criminal Justice did not provide details on injuries or deaths. The bus appears to have gone off a bridge, the Odessa American said, citing a Texas Department of Public Safety official.”

 

Jan 15, AP: “Eight inmates and two corrections officers died Wednesday when a prison bus skidded off an icy West Texas highway, slid down an embankment and collided with a passing freight train, authorities said. The overpass on Interstate 20 was slick with ice Wednesday morning when the Texas Department of Criminal Justice bus left the roadway in Penwell, just west of Odessa, according to Ector County Sheriff Mark Donaldson.

 

“An earlier accident on the I-20 overpass may have contributed to the prison bus losing control, Donaldson said. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed the 10 deaths in a statement, adding that four prisoners and one corrections officer were injured. The bus driver and another corrections officer were among those killed. A prison system statement identified the dead correctional officers as 53-year-old Christopher Davis and 45-year-old Eligio Garcia. The statement did not say which officer was driving the bus.

 

“According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice following were the prisoners who died, along with their convictions and their residences of record:

 

  • Byron Wilson, 34, of Potter County, sentenced for possession of a controlled substance
  • Tyler Townsend, 29, Tarrant Co., sentenced for evading arrest with previous convictions
  • Jesus Reyna, 44, of Ector County, sentenced for evading arrest and possession of cocaine
  • Kaleb Wise, 22, of Taylor County, sentenced for burglary
  • Adolfo Ruiz, 32, of Tarrant County, sentenced for labeling unauthorized recordings
  • Michael Stewart, 25, of Tarrant Co., sentenced for theft of property and evading arrest
  • Angel Vasquez, 31, of Potter County, sentenced for assault on a family member
  • Jeremiah Rodriguez, 35, of Ector County, sentenced for theft

 

“Correctional officer Jason Self, 38, and inmates Terry Johnson, 22, and Damien Rodriguez, 22, were hospitalized in critical condition, the prison system said. Inmates Remigio Pineda, 34, and Hector Rivera, 37, were in serious condition….

 

“Jason Clark, a spokesman for the Department of Criminal Justice, said the bus was taking the inmates from the Middleton prison in Abilene to the Sanchez prison in El Paso.

 

“The prisoners were handcuffed together in pairs, but there were no leg restraints, said Jason Heaton, agency director for the region. Only the driver’s seat had a seatbelt, he said. The school bus-like vehicle also does not have seatbelts on the bench-type seats where the prisoners were seated.

 

“After the accident around 7:30 a.m., the white bus came to rest on its side adjacent to the railroad tracks, crumpled with heavy damage to its front and undercarriage. The top of the bus also was caved inward.

 

“The Union Pacific freight train with four locomotives and 58 cars came to a stop soon after. None of the cars derailed, but two containers at the rear of the train were damaged when the bus struck them, said Mark Davis, a railroad spokesman. The containers were carrying hundreds of parcels and packages, many of which were strewn along the tracks. Two Union Pacific employees were not injured….” (Associated Press. “10 Killed in Prison Bus Crash in West Texas: Officials.” 1-15-2015. Texas News.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “10 Killed in Prison Bus Crash in West Texas: Officials.” 1-15-2015. Texas News. Accessed 1-15-2015 at: http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Officials-Prison-Bus-Involved-in-Fatal-Wreck-288552971.html

 

Associated Press. “At Least 10 Killed in Texas When Prison Bus Strikes Train.” 1-14-2015. Accessed 1-14-2015 at: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/bus-carrying-prisoners-involved-west-texas-fatal-wreck-28220790

 

National Transportation Safety Board. Highway Preliminary Report, Penwell, TX. Date adopted 1-29-2015. Accessed 6-3-2015 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/PreliminaryReportHighway.aspx

 

Reuters (Jon Herskovitz and Lisa Maria Garza) “At least 10 killed when Texas prison bus hit by train: reports.” 1-14-2015. Accessed 1-14-2015: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-prison-bus-15-aboard-hit-train-fatalities-162302915.html