Investigation in bus crash grows

A federal team is sent to San Diego County, where three died in a charter vehicle crash.

Federal agency sends a team to San Diego County to scrutinize the wreck scene.

SAN DIEGO — The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team to investigate a charter bus crash off Interstate 15 that killed three passengers and injured 18 others, the federal agency said Sunday.

The agency, which investigates transportation crashes, said on Twitter that “a team of four” was sent to the scene of the crash in the Pala Mesa area in northern San Diego County, just south of State Route 76, authorities said.

The crash occurred amid rainy conditions when the driver swerved and lost control of the bus in the southbound lanes of the freeway about 10:20 a.m. Saturday, officials said. The bus slid down an embankment and landed on its roof.

Some of the 21 passengers, a mix of adults and children, were thrown from the bus, while others were trapped, authorities said. Some managed to crawl out.

Three women, one pinned under the bus and two pulled from inside, died before they could be taken to a hospital, authorities said. Their names were not released.

Eighteen others were taken to area hospitals, authorities said.

The bus driver, a man from Whittier, suffered minor injuries and initially remained at the scene, said California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Latulippe. He was later taken to a station for questioning.

The driver, who was not identified, voluntarily submitted a blood sample. But drugs and alcohol are not suspected of being a factor in the crash, authorities said.

The charter is owned by Executive Lines, a company based east of L.A. The U.S. Department of Transportation website shows a clean record for the company, which passed all inspections in the last two years.

Latulippe said Saturday that it was too early to know if weather played a role.

The bus was hauled away so the CHP can examine it for possible mechanical failures, Latulippe said.