Reports coming out of Odessa, Texas indicate that several inmates and correctional officers are dead as the result of a bus accident. While an investigation should continue, preliminary reports indicate that the prison bus skidded off an icy Texas highway. The correctional officers that died have been idenfied as Christopher David, Eligo Garcia. The inmates have been identified as Byron Wilson, Tyler Townsend, Jesus Reyna, Kaleb Wise, Adolfo Ruiz, Michael Sewart, Angel Vasquez and Jeremiah Rodriguez. We understand that the families of the inmates and officers may have plenty of questions. They may be wondering whether the driver was keeping a proper lookout. They may also be wondering if the driver failed to drive at the proper rate of speed knowing of the road conditions. We suspect that after the bus skidded, it slid down an embankment and collided with a passing freight train Wednesday. After the bus collided with the train, the crash resulted in eight dead inmates and two corrections officers. The bus driver dies as well. The overpass on Interstate 20 was icy when the bus left the roadway in Penwell, just west of Odessa. Some of the prisoners were ejected from the bus after it struck the train. Who the families of the inmates and officers have a wrongful death case?
A correctional officers and inmates were hospitalized. The officer was identified as Jason Self, 38. The hospitalized inmates have been identified as Terry Johnson and Damien Rodriguez.
Bus drivers should not only keep a proper look out and drive more cautious with the change in weather, but they should also look into news reports. When bus drivers are going to travel a great distance and carry several passengers, it is important to look into road conditions and weather reports. Here, many of the inmates were handcuffed together and not wearing seatbelts. Why?
– Article written by Richard D. Weaver, a Texas personal injury lawyer.
