NTSB Meeting to Determine Cause of Horrific Texas Crash
Two people in another vehicle traveling behind the pickup recorded a 14-minute video of the pickup as it was driven erratically on U.S. Highway 83 just prior to the March 29, 2017, crash, which killed the driver of a church bus and 12 of the bus passengers.
The National Transportation Safety Board has scheduled an Oct. 16 meeting at which the board will determine the probable cause of the March 29, 2017, collision involving a pickup truck and a 13-passenger bus near Concan, Texas, that was being operated by the First Baptist Church of New Braunfels. The bus driver and 12 of the 13 bus passengers were killed in the crash, and the truck driver and the other bus passenger suffered serious injuries, after the northbound truck crossed the double yellow center line of U.S. Highway 83 and hit the front of the bus, which was traveling south.
Two people in another vehicle traveling behind the pickup recorded a 14-minute video of the pickup as it was driven erratically just prior to the crash. NTSB previously reported that the video shows the pickup truck crossed the white edge line of his lane 37 times and went into the grass roadside at least five times. It also crossed the center line into the opposite lane of travel 19 times, "at one point traveling completely on the wrong side of the road prior to the crash."
NTSB reported its analysis indicated the pickup's speed stayed relatively constant, at about 67-71 mph, as the video was being recorded.
The occupants in the following vehicle called the local sheriff to report the pickup driver's actions, and law enforcement was en route when the crash occurred.
The 20-year-old driver of the pickup told witnesses and the police that he had been texting, according to NTSB, which said he stated during an NTSB interview that he was checking his phone for a text when the crash occurred. He also told NTSB investigators that he had taken prescription medications prior to the crash. NTSB reported that it had subpoenaed the driver's cell phone records, and that several of the prescription medications, as well as marijuana, were found in the pipckup truck at the scene of the crash.
The board meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT in the NTSB Boardroom and Conference Center in Washington, D.C., with NTSB board members and the Office of Highway Safety staff participating.