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Feds probe crash that left Nevada beauty queen hurt
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Ms. Nevada Tracy Rodgers, shown in this 2007 file photo when she was serving as Mrs. Nevada, was in critical but stable condition after a collision with a bus Thursday.
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Federal authorities are launching an investigation into a California-based tour bus company after a Thursday crash that left a Nevada beauty queen hospitalized in critical condition.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will be looking into USAsia Casino Tours' safety practices, including its driver logbooks, licenses and employee drug test results, agency spokesman Duane DeBruyne said.
"In the immediate aftermath of a crash like this, it's almost automatic" that the agency conduct such a review, DeBruyne said. The results of the investigation will be shared with the Nevada Highway Patrol, which is handling the investigation.
Authorities said the company should not have been operating Thursday morning when the driver of one of its tour buses attempted an illegal U-turn on Interstate 15 near Moapa.
Tracy Rodgers, who reportedly was crowned Ms. Nevada this year and Mrs. Nevada in 2007, struck the rear of the bus with her car.
The company's license was revoked June 13 after it failed to provide proof of insurance, DeBruyne said.
Records show the company, based in Burlingame in the San Francisco Bay Area, has an active business license in California . When reached by phone, a man who answered said, "We don't have any comment on that."
The company could face charges at both the state and federal levels, Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Jeremie Elliott said . The bus driver was attempting a U-turn onto a dirt strip connecting the northbound and southbound lanes of the freeway. Only emergency vehicles are allowed to use the strips, he said.
Rodgers was in critical but stable condition Friday evening at University Medical Center , where Elliott thought she was suffering from broken bones and external and internal injuries.
Investigators are looking into why Rodgers was not able to stop before striking the bus. Elliott said there were no skid marks from her car at the scene. He said investigators don't think she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Eight passengers on the tour bus were hurt, but did not suffer major injuries.
Friends of Rodgers' told KTNV-TV, Channel 13, she was set to compete in the Ms. United States competition at the Las Vegas Hilton next month.
Review-Journal reporter Mike Blasky contributed to this report. Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.
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Good grief, @EngineerChris, you are an idiot and your ignorance is showing. You want to back that up with statistics? Take a look at some of the statistics done by the NHTSA and number of States, those statistics will show Asians are the safest drivers when compared to other races and are involved in least number of vehicle related incidents per 100,000.
While I'm at it, here are some more statistics for you. Asians are better educated and have the highest median income of ALL races, whether measured individually, by sex or household. In fact, Asian household income is $13,000 more than the second highest group, Whites, and a few thousand less than the two other minority races combined.
Asians also have the lowest divorce rates and more of their children are raised in intact homes. In fact, Asian children have the lowest dropout rates, HIGHEST high school graduation rates and more of them enter college. Statistically speaking, of course.
That brings us to the next set of statistics, Crime. Asians commit least crime per 100,000 and represent the lowest prison population, less than 2% of the total inmates in the US the last time I looked. In fact, numbers so insignificant that Asians are not even mentioned in most statistics.
So, @EngineerChris, before you decide to disparage Asians based on uninformed "Facts," next time, get your facts straight first.
Hope Ms Nevada heals. But both drivers will be sited because both drivers were at fault. The bus driver for attempting to make an illegal u-turn, and Ms Nevada for hitting him in the rear!
I work for NDOT and came to the scene.It was bad.Yes it was a asian driver and that lady was in really bad shape.
The lack of skid marks doesn't mean anything, and hasn't meant anything since anti-lock brakes became the standard. Remember, you only get skid marks when your tires drag on the ground, like when they slide laterally or when the tires lock up. If the brakes work as designed, they don't lock up the wheels, and your tires don't leave marks.
@Zeus. All I am saying is that until the whole story comes out, maybe we would all be best served by avoiding the speculation & in your case the personal insults
DannyHmmmmmm. You know I'm thinking that an alert and observant driver might see a BUS in the lane in front of them and create an "avenue to escape" by using the pedal on the left side do decrease her speed and prevent a high-speed impact with a stationary object. But hey, that's just me. When school is out today, maybe you should call your mommy on the telephone and ask her what the term "defensive driving" means. Or perhaps (since you're on the internet already) you could look it up.
COME ON PEOPLE,THE BUS HAD TO BRAKE BEFORE TRYING TO U~TURN! SHE WAS PROBABLY GOING TO FAST AND NOT PAYING ATTENTION.IM NOT TRYING TO MAKE EXCUSES FOR THE BUS DRIVER BUT THERES NO SKID MARKS ON THE ROAD.SHE HIT THE BACK OF THE BUS AT FULL SPEED. HOPE SHE RECOVERS WELL!!
The last time I checked the stopping distance for a car is considerably less than that for a bus. I haven't seen anything about visibility in that area, but if it was clear she should have been able to stop in time. Then again, I always drive expecting the other driver to do something stupid, like in this case. I never said she was at fault, but the article does not make clear whether she could have avoided the accident.
At the risk of being of being called all sorts of nasty names, I'm going to agree with "Grungebob" and "Tina B" - with a name like "U.S. Asia Casino Tours" the bus was probably driven by an Asian and yes, they are the worst drivers out there (oh the stories I could tell!). So the California-based (figures!) bus company had its license revoked earlier this month - that means nothing to them. I hope for a speedy and complete recovery for Mrs. Rodgers and a thorough reaming to the nth degree for the driver and the company.
@Zeus. Channel 13 is reporting that the bus was making an illegal U turn & came to a complete stop on I-15. NHP also confirms there was no avenue to escape the impact.
It has nothing to do with her driving ability. She was not at fault on this one.