West Chicago man among 3 killed in Arkansas bus accident
FORREST CITY, Ark. - A West Chicago man was among three killed Sunday when a passenger bus crossed the median on an interstate highway and collided with a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer rig. Fifteen others were injured.
The Tornado Bus Co. bus was westbound on Interstate 40, headed from Chicago to Dallas, when it veered across the median about 10 p.m. Sunday. The bus slammed into the oncoming eastbound pickup, and then the 18-wheeler slammed into the bus, Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said.
Authorities said the pickup's driver Danny Okurily, 40, of Hot Springs, Ark., was killed, as were two bus passengers, Raul Lopez, 58, of West Chicago, Ill., and a second passenger whose name was not immediately released.
By midmorning Monday, state police were still trying to get a total on the number injured. At least 15 people were admitted to hospitals in West Memphis, Ark., and Memphis, Tenn. One was in critical condition. It was not clear precisely how many others were taken to hospitals.
"We're still trying to account for everyone," Sadler said.
The injured included the bus driver, Felix Tapia, 28, of Brownsville, Texas, and the tractor-trailer driver, David Rice, 45, of Mars Hill, N.C.
Sadler said a manifest listed 44 passengers plus a driver aboard the bus. Later, authorities revised the count on the bus to 47, including two children not listed on the manifest.
The bus company caters primarily to Hispanic travelers, and Sadler said the Mexican consulate in Little Rock provided interpreters to help authorities interview those involved.
Tornado Bus spokeswoman Jennifer Rodriguez said the Dallas-based company, which began operating in 1993, had no previous crashes involving its 75 buses. She said the company was working with authorities but declined to provide further details on the crash or the driver.
The accident happened 10 miles east of Forrest City.
Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the agency was not investigating the crash. He said the agency, with a limited staff, typically focuses on extraordinary accidents that raise safety issues. He noted that in this case the bus had apparently crossed the median.