School Bus Flips Over on Slippery Freeway

Rain-slick roads and excessive speed contributed to a school bus crash on westbound California 118 near Kuehner Drive in Simi Valley on Tuesday, the California Highway Patrol reported.

No students were aboard the bus during the 11:30 a.m. crash, but driver Artyan Akilyan, 43, of Van Nuys suffered facial cuts and a sore back when the bus flipped over, CHP Officer Dave Cockrill said.

Akilyan, who works for Sun Valley-based Kesser Bus Lines, was admitted to Simi Valley Hospital for breathing trouble caused by partially collapsed lungs, said his boss, Jerry Russomanno.

Cockrill said a decision whether to cite him was under investigation.

The crash occurred after Akilyan spotted traffic ahead of him slowing down. When he braked, Akilyan lost control of the bus, it swerved onto the right shoulder and flipped, Cockrill said. The bus came to rest upright.

Russomanno said Akilyan purposely swerved to avoid hitting several vehicles that had spun out.

“It was an act of bravery, really,” Russomanno said. Akilyan has a clean driving record and was given a certificate by his employer last week for 25 years of commercial driving without an accident, Russomanno said.

Akilyan had been on his way to pick up a Moorpark High School soccer team for a game in Redlands. At the time, he was driving about 55 mph, 10 miles under the posted speed limit but excessive for the wet road conditions, Cockrill said.

The crash occurred about the same time as five other solo-vehicle spin-outs on the same stretch of California 118, Cockrill said. No other injuries were reported, but traffic was backed up in the westbound lanes.

In all, Cockrill said, the CHP responded to 28 crashes on county roadways Tuesday between 7 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. None involved major injuries.