Shuttle bus carrying doctors and nurses crashes in Northern California

A shuttle bus carrying nearly two dozen doctors, nurses and family members rolled down an embankment near the Oregon border after the driver was distracted by a passenger, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Kathleen Akin, 52, was driving a Noah’s River Adventure shuttle at 3:30 p.m. Sunday near Copco Lake when she became distracted by a passenger who was standing up and talking, CHP Officer Jason Chilton said Tuesday.

The driver turned to look at the passenger, and that’s when the shuttle bus drifted off the roadway and rolled 15 feet down a dirt embankment and eventually landed on its roof, Chilton said. Fortunately, Akin was driving at a low speed, he said.

Bus passengers suffered injuries ranging from a fractured neck to scrapes and bruises, Chilton said. Akin, an Oregon resident, was not injured, he said.

According to Sky Lakes Medical Center, the doctors and nurses were all coworkers from Cascades East Family Medicine Center in Klamath Falls, Ore. Cascades East is on the Sky Lakes campus.

“Thanks to all for the tremendous outpouring of support for the Cascades East staff and family members who were injured in a Sunday afternoon accident,” Sky Lakes Medical Center said on Facebook. “While several people on board suffered injuries, we are grateful there was no loss of life, and our prayers continue for everyone affected by the accident.”

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