The California Highway Patrol says a 23-year-old woman from Mexico, a 73-year-old woman from Pasadena, and a 67-year-old woman from Riverside lost their lives in the crash.
In a press release, the CHP said 8 of the 20 passengers were from Mexico, one was from Temecula and the others were from Southern California. Their ages range from 5-years-old to 75-years-old. The 5-year-old boy who was airlifted to the University of Riverside Health Services Medical Center has life threatening head injuries. He was from Mexico.
Four passengers are being cared for at Inland Valley Medical Center. Seven are being treated at Temecula Valley Medical Center. Five are at the Palomar Medical Center.
CHP said the National Transportation and Safety Board is arriving Monday to investigate the crash. The bus crashed off the side of South Bound I-15 around 10:25 a.m. Saturday while rain was falling south of Fallbrook.
According to the San Diego Union Tribune, the charter is owned by Executive Lines in L-A and according to its website, operates a route through the Inland Empire to San Ysidro.
The newspaper quotes online records as saying that a bus with the same license plate number as the one in Saturday’s crash was found with windshield wipers that were either “inoperative” or “defective” in a Nov. 5 inspection.
(Photo credit reporting partner 10News)