B. C. suspends Coquitlam bus company involved in deadly crash that killed nine

U. S. had earlier pulled Mi Joo Tour & Travel’s authority to operate south of border

Mi Joo Tour & Travel, which operated a bus involved in an accident that killed nine people and injured many more in Pendleton, Ore., on Dec. 30, had its bus operations suspended Friday by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

The ministry’s commercial vehicle safety enforcement branch initiated a safety audit after the crash and found the company was not meeting its obligations under B. C. law regarding driver hours of service and pre- trip inspections, which includes checking lights, brakes and wheel nuts.

“We found over the last three years ( the company) had a satisfactory safety record,” CVSE deputy director Perry Dennis said of the company, which operates six buses. “But they were unable to provide records ensuring their drivers were adhering to hoursofservice regulations, and that pre- trip inspections were completed as required.

“They have to have records in place and they didn’t.”

Dennis said drivers cannot put in more than 70 hours of work each week and must take eight hours off within every 24- hour cycle. Friday’s suspension follows the tour company being declared “an imminent hazard to public safety” by American authorities, which ordered it to stop transporting people south of the border after the bus smashed through a barrier and flipped end- over- end, landing in a snowy embankment off Interstate 84.

Dennis said the ministry decision came after the audit looked into the company’s operations over the past year. He said safety audits are prompted by crashes and that Mi Joo Tour & Travel had not been audited before.

He noted, however, that the company had earlier received a warning letter after a spot check of one of its buses, but that it “came into compliance and maintained a satisfactory compliance rating for three years.”

Dennis didn’t have any specifics regarding the infraction cited in the warning letter or when it happened.

According to the ministry, Mi Joo Tour & Travel Ltd. was issued a national safety code certificate in January 2007.

Under B. C.’ s national safety code, companies must ensure their vehicles and drivers are meeting the safety requirements defined in the Motor Vehicle Act, including adhering to maximum hours of service for their drivers, recording trip inspections, maintaining records of any driver infractions, and ensuring their vehicles are inspected as required and properly maintained.

On Tuesday, the U. S. Department of Transportation’s federal motor carrier safety administration ordered Mi Joo Tour & Travel to cease U. S. operations and revoked the firm’s authority to carry passengers.

“The safety of all travellers on our highways and roads remains our highest priority,” said U. S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a news release. “We will move quickly to shut down bus companies that do not operate safely.”

The orders came after an investigation by department officials found Mi Joo “failed to take basic measures to ensure that its drivers are properly rested,” according to the release.

“Moreover, on December 30, Mi Joo Tour & Travel allowed its driver, Haeng Kyu Hwang, to drive after having been on duty for well beyond the 70 hour maximum hours of service permitted under federal regulations,” the release added.

Meanwhile, two more people who survived the crash have filed a civil lawsuit against the company in B. C. Supreme Court.

The suits by June Won Kim and his wife Hee Eun Kim allege, among other things, that the company was negligent by not ensuring the bus was roadworthy or properly serviced, and that the driver was speeding, driving a defective vehicle, and failing to comply with the rules of the road.

The Kims’ lawyer, Bernie Simpson, said his clients were severely injured in the crash and suffered brain injuries.

“Both are in hospital in Walla Walla ( Wash.).”

On Monday, two teenage Korean ESL students who survived the crash filed a civil lawsuit against the company in a Tacoma, Wash., court. The suit claimed the bus driver was tired, speeding and ignored warnings of poor road conditions.

Simpson said he expects that many more suits will be filed.

Mi Joo could not be reached for comment Friday and a recorded message said the company is temporarily closed.

Earlier this week, Mi Joo’s owner Ed Kang refused to comment on the U. S. order to stop service.