1 killed and 32 injured in fiery crash involving tour bus and SUV in Hacienda Heights

One person died and 32 were injured on Mother’s Day morning in a fiery crash after a tour bus slammed into an SUV that was stopped on the 60 Freeway in Hacienda Heights, according to preliminary reports.

Authorities responded to the crash at 5:03 a.m. Sunday. When they got there, the SUV was already engulfed in flames, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The driver of the SUV was trapped inside and did not survive the crash. Their identity has not been released, pending the notification of family by the L.A. County Department of Medical Examiner.

Flames did not spread to the bus, which had 63 people on board, including its driver, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Thirty-two people were taken to a hospital, with at least two in critical condition.

In their preliminary investigation, officers with the California Highway Patrol found that the Nissan Pathfinder had stopped moving and was blocking the No. 1 lane, or the far left lane, of westbound State Route 60 west of Azusa Avenue.

The tour bus, driven by Sui Sheng Du, was in the far left lane when the bus hit the back of the Pathfinder and the Pathfinder caught fire.

The tour bus veered to the right across all lanes of traffic before the right side of the bus hit the guardrail on the right shoulder of the highway, the CHP said.

Authorities don’t suspect that drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.

The bus was traveling from the Morongo Casino to Koreatown, according to local news reports. Joe Runnel, a passenger on the bus, told KTLA that he was thrown to the floor from the back seat and that people were begging for mercy after the crash.

“Glass was on me,” he said. “There was a lot of hollering.”

Firefighters rushed to help the passengers and wheeled the most seriously injured into ambulances. A hazardous materials squad was called in to check for fuel dangers from the bus. The westbound 60 Freeway between Azusa Avenue and Hacienda Boulevard was shut down for more than two hours as authorities cleared the site.

All lanes were reopened to traffic by midmorning.

Authorities are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact the California Highway Patrol at (800) TELL-CHP ([800] 835-5247).