Damaged guardrail may have caused prison bus crash
The NTSB’s report states that a 225-foot section of metal guardrail was damaged in an accident the day before the Jan. 14 bus crash in Penwell, just west of Odessa. Two of three other accidents caused by icy road conditions on Interstate 20 on the day of the bus crash could have displaced the guardrail and pushed it into the path of the bus, the report states.
LUBBOCK, Texas — A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report found that the West Texas prison bus accident that killed two prison guards and eight inmates was likely caused when the bus hit a piece of displaced highway guardrail, sending the vehicle onto the center median and down an embankment, where it struck a passing freight train, reported KXAN.
The NTSB’s report states that a 225-foot section of metal guardrail was damaged in an accident the day before the Jan. 14 bus crash in Penwell, just west of Odessa. Two of three other accidents caused by icy road conditions on Interstate 20 on the day of the bus crash could have displaced the guardrail and pushed it into the path of the bus, the report states.
The board’s full investigation is expected to be completed next year. For the full story, click here.
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