A person died and 32 people were hospitalized, including two in critical condition, after a tour bus crash on the 60 Freeway in Hacienda Heights early Sunday morning.
According to Los Angeles County Fire Department Public Information Officer Fred Fielding, units were dispatched at 5:07 a.m. regarding a traffic collision involving fire near Hacienda Boulevard and arrived on scene within minutes to find that a tour bus was involved in a crash with a vehicle, believed to be a Nissan SUV.
The Nissan was fully engulfed when crews arrived, authorities later stated on social media.
One person died in the crash, and it was later confirmed that it was the driver of the Nissan, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
CHP Officer Zachary Salazar told KTLA 5’s Erin Myers at 7 a.m. that, due to the impact of the collision, the Nissan burst into flames, leaving the driver trapped.
Salazar elaborated that there were 63 people on the tour bus counting the driver, and a total of 32 were transported to area hospitals in various conditions, including two in critical condition who were among the first to be taken from the scene.
The other 31 passengers were uninjured and allowed to leave without injuries.
The tour bus sustained significant front end damage as well as a shattered windshield and ended up on the shoulder as a result of the collision. A hazardous materials squad was dispatched to the scene to ensure that the bus was not leaking fuel.
According to a witness who was driving on the westbound 60 at the time of the crash, the situation unfolded “so quick” and that “everyone tried to stop, but there was just not enough time.”
The fact that the crash occurred so early on Mother’s Day adds to the “catastrophe,” the witness, a man named Cesar, told Myers an hour after the crash.
“It happened so quickly…a lot of chaos and then just red lights,” he said. “It’s going to be very [catastrophic] especially because it’s Mother’s Day…it’s very sad that it had to start like this.”
The westbound 60 Freeway will be closed between Azusa Avenue and Hacienda Boulevard indefinitely, although authorities hope to have some lanes open by 8 a.m.
Drivers who need to go through the area are advised to seek alternate routes.
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