Corvette slams into tour bus on California’s legendary 17-Mile Drive

A gnarly, head-on crash between a full-sized tour bus and a red Corvette about 3 p.m. Saturday on Pacific Grove’s famed 17 Mile Drive left the driver in the hospital and his pricey vehicle crushed, according to a CHP press release on Monday.

Later, the male driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

The Corvette driver reportedly was heading eastbound at a high rate of speed on 17-Mile Drive when it crossed the double yellow lines and crashed head-on into the westbound tour bus, CHP said. The impact left the sports car in a mangled wreck.

There were 48 passengers aboard the bus, and a 60-year-old woman reportedly sustained minor injuries, according to KSBW TV. The bus driver, 62, was from Hesperia, according to the station’s report.

The CHP said the investigation is continuing, and details were preliminary and subject to change.

The agency didn’t include the suspect’s name in its release.

Saturday was a busy day for emergency workers along the Central Coast.

That afternoon, a fisherman’s body was recovered from the sea near the China Vista Point shoreline after he fell from the rocky shoreline into the surf.

This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Corvette slams into tour bus on California’s legendary 17-Mile Drive."

Kathe Tanner

The Tribune

805-781-7904 (voicemails only)

Kathe Tanner has been writing about the people and places of SLO County’s North Coast since 1981, first as a columnist and then also as a reporter. Her career has included stints as a bakery owner, public relations director, radio host, trail guide and jewelry designer. She has been a resident of Cambria for more than four decades, and if it’s happening in town, Kathe knows about it.