Driver in deadly Merced County bus crash must surrender his passport, judge says
A Merced County judge allowed the driver of a fatal bus crash to remain out of custody, but required the man to surrender his passport on Tuesday, according prosecutors.
Mario David Vasquez, 58 of Los Angeles, is charged with four counts of vehicular manslaughter and five counts of misdemeanor vehicle code violations, according to the district attorney’s office. He was arraigned before Merced County Commissioner Jeanne Schechter on Tuesday, and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Vasquez was driving a passenger bus registered to Autobuses Coordinados USA, Inc. carrying 30 people Aug. 2, 2016, when he veered off the road and crashed into a pole south of Livingston, tearing the bus in two. Four passengers died, according to investigators.
His attorney, Jessica Rico, did not return a request for comment. Vasquez is scheduled to be in Merced County Superior Court again on Nov. 2, and is not allowed to drive.
Tuesday's hearing included a review of Vasquez's status to remain out of custody, according to Nicole Silveira, the supervising deputy district attorney.
"We feel that the judge had a difficult decision, and we respect the court's decision," she said. "We hope that this does not in any way diminish the lives lost."
The passenger bus was traveling between the Mexican state of Nayarit and Washington state, according to investigators. Survivors of the crash told investigators Vasquez was speeding and in a rush in the hours before the deadly incident, according to reports.
In interviews, multiple passengers told California Highway Patrol investigators they believed Vasquez was driving between 70-80 mph, weaving through traffic and passing cars, and rushing passengers who boarded the bus in Goshen, Earlimart and Fresno.
Along with speeding, according to investigators, fatigue and the use of a cellphone added to the crash.
Vasquez told investigators in November 2016 that he believed the crash was not his fault and he wanted to tell the truth, according to a CHP report of more than 350 pages. the driver of three decades said he believes the rear shock of the bus broke and hit the wheel drum, causing the bus to swerve to the right off the road.
Vasquez said he couldn’t steer the bus back to the left, and he applied the brakes but the bus didn’t stop, the report says. But, the CHP report found the bus had no pre-existing mechanical issues at the time of the crash. Instead, investigators said Vasquez was fatigued, causing him to make an unsafe turning movement.
The cause of the crash was determined through statements, vehicle damage, physical evidence, injuries, the position in which the bus came to rest and other analysis, according to the reports.
Autobuses Coordinados USA Inc., the company that owned the bus, went out of service two months after the crash, Department of Transportation records show.
This story was originally published September 19, 2017 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Driver in deadly Merced County bus crash must surrender his passport, judge says."