Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Tragic Greyhound Bus Accident On Highway 101 At Northbound Highway 85 Turnoff In San Jose



I woke up yesterday thinking this is sleeping weather. While I lay there listening to the down pour of rain not wanting it hit me. I had too because I had so many things to do. I turned on the news like I always do and heard that a Greyhound bus had crashed. Among the injured and deceased was one man seriously injured, nine others with minor injuries including the driver and two women were killed. I could only imagine how the passengers felt. To be so close to your destination after a long bus ride and not to get there because of a crash is frightening.
At 6:38 a.m. on January 19, 2016 a Greyhound bus coming from Los Angeles crashes in San Jose. The bus final destination was supposed to be Oakland. The roads were wet from the down pour of rain when the Greyhound bus approached the Highway 85 turnoff on northbound 101. A driver that was behind the bus saw the bus change lanes. Then unexpectedly the bus struck the impact barrels at the divider and landed on its side, the driver told CHP Officers. Officer Chris Miceli with the Hollister-Gilroy CHP office, said the Greyhound bus driver recalled "striking the median barrier and then the next thing he remembered was the bus at rest on its side and that's about all he could tell us." An investigation into what happened is underway. The two women who died were ejected out of the buses front window. According to CHP the bus had seat belts. I wonder why the two women were not wearing seat belts or were they and the belts failed?
What this meant for the people who commuted from Hollister, Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin on highway 101 northbound? Serious delays on all the connecting highways and roadways. I work for Streetwise Special Delivery Courier Service out of Gilroy as a dispatcher and the driver that was dispatched from Gilroy was delayed 2 hours for his pickups and deliveries. All the other commuters decided to take alternate routes and alternate routes were clogged as well.
My prayers go out to the families of the two women who lost their lives and to the others who were injured.
LM