MERCED (KMJ) — Charges have now been filed against the driver involved in a fatal bus crash near Livingston.
Merced County District Attorney’s office made the announcement Tuesday. The incident on August 2nd 2016 claimed four lives and seriously injured eight passengers. Mario David Vasquez is now facing four felony counts of vehicular manslaughter and five misdemeanor vehicle code violations.
Officials state that the bus left the road, and collided with a sign pole on Highway 99, splitting almost the entire bus in two.
The CHP investigated the incident and its report establishes that the 58 year old driver from Los Angeles had used his cell phone during the journey, and had taken a call a few minutes prior to the crash. It also found that his log book indicated he had slept less than seven hours the previous day, and passengers described him as drowsy.
“Given their size and the potential dangers 18-wheelers and buses pose for other motorists, commercial drivers are appropriately held to the highest standards for safety under state law,” wrote Deputy District Attorney Larry D. Morse II in a statement.
“Mr. Vasquez’s extreme fatigue, violations of commercial regulations and repeated use of a cell phone while entrusted with the care of passengers demonstrated a gross dereliction of the duty he owed not just to his passengers, but to every motorist on Highway 99 that morning.”
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
