Yosemite tour bus crash leaves 16 injured

A Yosemite National Park tour bus crashed Saturday evening after it went off the road and over an embankment, leaving 16 people hurt.

None of the injuries are life-threatening. The victims were recovering at local hospitals, the Fresno Bee said.

According to Associated Press, the bus was about 40 miles south of the park when it went off Highway 41 and over an embankment about 6 p.m. Saturday.

The patrol’s Merced dispatch office described it as a minor injury crash, and said the 16 people were taken to local hospitals.

The bus was carrying 17 people, including a driver, when the crash occurred near local road 630.

The Bee quoted officers as saying the bus was returning from a visit to the park when the bus driver, who was traveling about 40 mph, lost control of the bus.

California Highway Patrol Sgt. Edward Greene told the Bee the bus rolled onto an embankment and several passengers were thrown to the driver’s side of the bus. It eventually came to a stop after hitting a tree.

“If the tree wasn’t there to stop the bus, it would have continued down the ravine,” Greene said.

The newspaper said the injured people — the majority of whom were elderly — were taken to three hospitals with minor to moderate injuries. Four of the injured were treated at Clovis Community Medical Center and released, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The bus driver was the only one who was not hurt.