1 killed, 32 injured in collision of bus and SUV on Los Angeles area freeway

CHP Officer Zachary Salazar said 32 people were taken to hospitals, including the two in critical condition. He said the remaining people transported had injuries ranging from moderate to minor.

A passenger on the bus, Joe Runnel, told KTLA-TV that people were “begging for mercy” in the moments after the crash that closed two lanes of State Route 60 for several hours.

This image provided by KABC-TV shows police working near a crashed sport utility vehicle after it collided with a tour bus in Los Angeles. (KABC-TV via AP)

“I was thrown from the back seat of the bus to the floor about three or four seats down,” Runnel said. “Glass was on me … there was a lot of hollering.”

The preliminary investigation suggests that the SUV became disabled for unknown reasons in a lane and the tour bus then collided with the rear of the SUV, the CHP said. After the impact, the bus veered to the right across all lanes and collided with the guardrail along the shoulder, the news release said.

There was significant damage to the front of the bus, including a shattered windshield. The LA County Fire Department said the fire did not spread to the bus.

Salazar said 63 people were aboard the bus, including the driver. He said 31 people were able to leave the scene in a separate bus.

The bus was headed from the Morongo area of the desert near Palm Springs to the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, officials said. The highway was fully reopened by late morning.