Posted on 01/04/2008 8:48:18 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
Operator had 19 citations; owner settled $3.3 million suit
The operator of the bus that crashed in Victoria, killing one person and injuring dozens others, has been cited 19 times in the past three years, and the bus owner settled a lawsuit for $3.3 million two years ago with victims in a similar wreck, records show.
Capricorn Bus Lines, which once operated under the name Flores Charter and Tours, settled a Houston lawsuit involving a 2002 crash in Nuevo Laredo. In that incident, plaintiffs claimed negligence by the company and the inattentiveness of the driver caused the bus to roll over, injuring at least 46 passengers.
It was not clear from court records whether anyone was killed or died later from injuries.
On Wednesday, a Capricorn-owned bus was heading back to Houston from Monterrey, Mexico, when it rolled over near Victoria, killing one man and forcing a female passenger to undergo an arm amputation. That woman filed a lawsuit on Wednesday.
At least 44 other passengers were injured and on Thursday at least 20 were still recovering in hospitals in Victoria and San Antonio.
"They're all doing very well, as well as can be expected," said Shannon Spree, a spokeswoman for Citizens Memorial Hospital, where eight patients were being treated. ''They're all in good condition."
Authorities have said they suspect the driver, Roberto Garcia Cruz, 42, of Houston, may have dozed off behind the wheel. Efforts to contact Cruz for comment Thursday were unsuccessful.
While Capricorn does not have the legal authority to drive its own buses to Mexico, it is able to sell tickets — $40 for one-way, $70 for round trip — for the route by leasing its buses to another operator, International Charter Service Inc. of Houston.
Arrangement complex
Drivers are hired by Capricorn, according to company....
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
His daughter, Flor Flores, said her father was recovering from a gunshot wound he received when he was kidnapped from the bus line's Monterrey offices on Dec. 1.
It is good that the father is recovering. It looks like there will be a few law suits. LOL! Of course, we will get to pay the medical bills for all the Mexican patients.
Ping!
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.
Metro in Houston operates in a similar way. Most of the midday/evening drivers are contract. They are not employed by Metro so when they are in a wreck Metro and the city of Houston are not liable.
The state of Arkasas has issued warrants for the driver of the “Tornado” bus (hispanic bus line located in Dallas) driver that had the accident up on I-40 a few weeks ago that killed four. He is missing? Oh, really???? I suspect he is basking in the sun in sunny mexico.
Wife & I took a bus from Cancun up to Chichen Itza years ago. Thje driver was doing a steady 80 mph on two lane gravel when we suffered a flat on the inside dual. We coasted into a little community that had cold pop and beer. It took about two hours to fix the blowout...
Wife & I took a bus from Cancun up to Chichen Itza years ago. Thje driver was doing a steady 80 mph on two lane gravel when we suffered a flat on the inside dual. We coasted into a little community that had cold pop and beer. It took about two hours to fix the blowout...
I love partnering with a 3rd world, corrupt country. Can’t wait for the Tran Texas Corridor. When do we secede?
Accident was on Wednesday, story says woman who lost arm filed suit on Wednesday. That’s one quick ambulance chaser. They must have had the pen in her remaining hand when she woke up from surgery.
Houston PING
I wish my lawn crew would hurry up and get back from Mexico where they surely returned for the Christmas Holidays.
Where to start.... prior citations out the wahzoo, multiple owners, multiple company names, legal though shady business practices in piggy backing other buses, drivers not keeping records, and etc. Now, the US tax payer gets to pay the hospital bills and I’m sure those folks will forget to go back across the border after the funeral.
I hear O.J. was at the wheel and just before the crash was overheard to say “Houston, we have a problem.” ;)
Pun time?
My thought precisely. As they say, 99% of lawyers give the rest of us a bad name...
The Associated Press
January 3, 2008 - 11:28PM
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Texas man driving a passenger bus that crashed in east Arkansas in November, killing four, has been charged with four counts of felony negligent homicide after toxicology tests revealed he had amphetamines in his system, a prosecutor said Thursday.
Prosecutor Fletcher Long said Felix B. Tapia of Brownsville, Texas, would face three to 10 years in prison on each count if convicted.
“He was under the influence of amphetamines and that, plus the negligent operation of a vehicle, was what the charges are based on,” said Long, who is based in Forrest City. A warrant had been issued for the suspect’s arrest, Long said.
Tapia was not in custody and was believed to be in Texas. He was not being sought in the Brownsville area as of Thursday, according to Brownsville police detectives.
Woman Sues After Texas Bus Wreck
21 hours ago
VICTORIA, Texas (AP) — A woman whose right arm was amputated after the deadly crash of a bus traveling from Mexico to Houston sued the bus company and a charter service Thursday.
Bernarda Pena’s lawsuit came one day after a bus carrying nearly 50 people overturned on a highway near Victoria, killing one. Pena, 51, was among 20 passengers still hospitalized.
The lawsuit, filed in Harris County, alleges negligence on the part of Houston-based owner Capricorn Bus Lines Inc. and International Charter Services, which was operating the bus. It seeks unspecified compensation for disfigurement and medical bills, as well as mental anguish.
Pena, a fast-food worker who lives in Houston, was visiting her husband in Monterrey, Mexico, when the bus crashed, Bryant said.
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