1 killed, 32 injured in collision of bus and SUV on Los Angeles area freeway

LOS ANGELES — One person was killed and 32 people were injured, including two critically, when a tour bus and a sport utility vehicle collided on a Los Angeles area freeway early Sunday, officials said.

The lone occupant of the SUV died after the vehicle became engulfed in flames following the crash just after 5 a.m. in the Hacienda Heights area, about 20 miles east of downtown LA, the California Highway Patrol said in a news release.

CHP Officer Zachary Salazar said 32 people were taken to hospitals, including the two in critical condition. He said the remaining people transported had injuries ranging from moderate to minor.

A passenger on the bus, Joe Runnel, told KTLA-TV that people were “begging for mercy” in the moments after the crash.

“I was thrown from the back seat of the bus to the floor about three or four seats down,” Runnel said. “Glass was on me … there was a lot of hollering.”

The preliminary investigation suggests that the SUV became disabled for unknown reasons in a lane and the tour bus then collided with the rear of the SUV, the CHP said. After the impact, the bus veered to the right across all lanes and collided with the guardrail along the shoulder, the news release said.

There was significant damage to the front of the bus, including a shattered windshield. The LA County Fire Department said the fire did not spread to the bus.

Salazar said 63 people were aboard the bus, including the driver. He said 31 people were able to leave the scene in a separate bus.

The bus was headed from the Morongo area of the desert near Palm Springs to the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, officials said.