42 Hurt as Tour Bus Flips on Wet Interstate in Las Vegas

A tour bus swerved out of control on a rain-slicked highway and flipped on its side Saturday, injuring the 42 people aboard, authorities said.

The bus was carrying 41 passengers and a driver when it overturned about 4 p.m. on the northbound side of Interstate 15 near Sahara Avenue, said Robert Forbuss, president of Mercy Ambulance.

The passengers and driver were taken to four area hospitals, although the worst injury reported was a pelvic fracture, Forbuss said.

The Scorpio Tours bus driver, Jose Luis Figuarera, 51, said through an interpreter that he lost control when he braked for a car in front of him.

The bus rolled over on its side, but did not overturn, officials said.

“A lot of drivers stopped to help and a lot of the injured were literally lined up waiting for assistance when ambulances began arriving,” said Gary Pung, a paramedic with the city Fire Department.

“I just saw a lot of cars getting tangled up. Then I saw a cloud of dust and the bus was in the middle of the cloud of dust and then it just went over on its side,” said Malcolm Turner, a Clark County firefighter who was driving home when he saw the mishap.

A tractor-trailer rig following the bus also swerved out of control and collided with a car, but no injuries were reported. There was a light rain at the time, said Sgt. Harold Cook, security supervisor at the nearby Palace Station casino and hotel.

At least 12 of the injured were taken to University Medical Center, but none were seriously hurt, a nursing supervisor said.

“No one has any critical injuries, at worst maybe some fractured ribs or broken arms,” the supervisor said, adding that some people were refusing medical treatment.

Guests at the Palace Station notified casino security officers of the accident, Cook said. Private security guards from the U.S. Energy Department’s Las Vegas regional headquarters also ran to aid the injured, paramedics said.

“I ran out and saw the bus overturned on the highway, about 30 to 35 feet away,” Cook said. “People were stopping their cars and running to the bus.”

Cook ran inside the casino to notify authorities of the accident.