Crash victims file lawsuit against tour bus company
Two passengers who survived a deadly tour bus crash near Pendleton have filed a lawsuit against the company that operated the tour bus.
The passengers allege the tour bus operator drove as much as 10-12 hours a day leading up to the crash, in violation of legal limits on driving time for commercial drivers.
The lawsuit also alleges the driver was negligent by ignoring road signs about icy conditions near the scene of the accident.
The lawsuit was filed Jan. 6 in Pierce County in Washington. The plaintiff is Kyoung-Sen Kang, legal guardian for two high school exchange students who survived the crash.
The defendant is Mi Joo Tour & Travel Ltd., which is based in Vancouver, B.C. The company could not be reached. The Oregonian newspaper last week reported that it has a safe operating history.
Nine people were killed and 38 injured when the tour bus crashed through a guardrail and 200 feet down an embankment along Interstate 84 east of Pendleton. The bus was returning to Vancouver, British Columbia, after a nine-day trip.
The law firm Herrmann Scholbe filed the lawsuit.
The Portland Business Journal is a KATU News partner.
Ah yes, the daily foillowup story to this unfortunate incident. What, no new names of deceased today?
I am actually surprised it took this long for a lawsuit to happen.
If the victims or their guardian are suing to make sure this does not happen again...then fine
If the guardian is suing to line some pockets, that is not good at all.
If they prove without a doubt the tour company is at fault, then perhaps it will help other people and companies to abide by the laws.
If they knew all along that the driver was "allegedly" breaking the rules, why wait until afterwards to say something?The bus and driver would have had to take them from BC to Vegas and back. Which would have shown a habit of not following the rules.
It will be interesting to see what actually comes of this.
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It was a nine day trip...
@Just Lookin Compensation for injury or the loss of a loved one in why we carry insurance. I for one am happy when my carrier helps someone in a time of tragedy/
If my child died on that bus, a lawsuit would be the least of your worries.
Ok, don't get me wrong here...but if the victims are alleging that the driver drove too long in the days leading up to the event...If they were truly worried, why did they continue to get on the bus? SUE HAPPY 8-)
 @mikeyb123 Sometimes you don't have a lot of choice. If you're hundreds - or thousands - of miles away from home without any other way to get home, what do you do?
 @Jenni S. Get on another bus, train, taxi, plane. Call the company, request another driver. My point is...they are suing under the grounds that he had driven too much deeming him an "unsafe driver"...If they were TRULY convinced that he was an unsafe driver, then why the hell did you get on the bus? You are not very concerned (and have NO grounds to sue) if this is the case.
Payday a comming, but I bet they would rather have their loved ones back instead.
 @dkgiovenco This particular plaintiff did not lose any loved ones in the crash.
 @felines99 So I guess just a payday coming.
Boy....that didn't take long. I mean, really, this screams for a lawsuit...but this is a fast one.
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@JLO you clearly believe in ignorant stereotypes.
I have a Class A CDL, not a Class B, but CDL-A holder can drive 11 hours a day legally. Â According to the FMCSA, passenger vehicle drivers can only drive 10 hours within a 15 hour time limit. Â So if the driver is driving 10 hours a day then I don't see what is illegal about that. Â "10-12 hours a day leading up to the crash" is vague and I'm wondering how they will prove that. Â If the driver(s?) did, then I'll bet a dollar that they didn't log it as such. Â I suppose one way to prove it would to check cell phone signal movement. Â If during the time that a driver should have been stopping, the pings from cell towers on the driver(s?)/passenger did not show any stopping, I suppose that would be one way to ascertain if the bus stopped for a driver switch or an overnight stop.
If there is a reason for the lawsuit, fine, do it. Â But, you can almost smell the stench of bottom dwelling lawyers circling the accident scene looking for any reason to sue someone. Â In most cases like this, the lawyers only care about how much they can put into their own pockets. Â They don't give a damn about the victims.
 @boomer When the bottom feeding lawyers hear "commercial" in regard to a vehicle crash, yeah, they would sell their firstborn to be the one that gets the case.
When my remodel company downed size, I was let go.  I have had passenger CDL, I applied for some jobs as a driver.   Mostly the companies I asked for the job, plain or hint, required me to drive more time than the law allowed. You know, as a former good soldier, I didn't take the jobs that required me to break the laws. I am nolonger driving passenger bus, and happy with that, though money I have made now is a lot less.
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I could kill somebody in battle fields, but I cannot live with the feeling that I kill somebody because I am tired.
 @tptpttp Thanks for having higher morals with the CDL driving tactics than most people have with their own.Â
 @tptpttp Thank you.
If rules and/or regulations were violated then I would expect them to be sued.....I guess we'll see how this plays out.
Similar to tour bus crashes in AZ where people were killed, most from Asian countries, the drivers of the tour buses in some cases were not licensed for commercial tour buses, the buses are not maintained, - I guess it's too costly to take a bus out of service for routine maintenance, and also not cost effective to hire licensed/certified commercial bus drivers. We'll see how this shakes out. Problem is, there are so many of these fly-by-night tour companies making big bucks from the tourists, it's really sad that they don't take better care of them.
I wondr how much of the timing is due to medical or costs associated with the dead? What they are seeking is the clue. I agree in part that "it is the thing to do" and is most likely a large part of the motivation.Â
A lawsuit? Â Shocker.
 @Suffer247 my exact thought. you beat me to it!
I was wondering how long it would take for someone to enter the Ghetto Lotto. Don't be surprised if they decide to sue the State of Oregon for the snow.
"..enter the Ghetto Lotto?" First all all..way to play the race card.
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Yeah..those greedy opportunists. I'm sure there was nothing harsh about sitting in that bus..and watching helplessly as it careened out of control, rolling 200 feet down a snowy embankment, being injured, listening to the moaning, screaming, and crying until help arrived..not to mention seeing dead bodies lying all around..yeah..shame on them for wanting to sue somebody. Â
@KillsGermsOnContact Spoken like a true Sam Adams kissing liberal.
@JLO I must say you seem like a ignorant racist pig.Â