Gaines has poor record
A tour bus that slammed into a tractor-trailer Friday in heavy fog on Interstate70 and injured a dozen people is owned by a company with a sketchy inspection record, federal records indicate.
Las Vegas-based Gaines Motor Coaches scored in the bottom 9 percent on inspection scores the past two years as compared to similar carriers nationwide, according to data by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Members of indie-rock musician Twin Shadow’s band and tour group were injured in the collision.
Officials from Gaines could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Between 2012 and 2014, Gaines paid a total of $9,960 in penalties for inspection violations, according to federal records.
Following 11 inspections in 2014 and 2015, Gaines was cited for 52 violations that included “driver fitness.”
On Aug. 2, 2014, Tennessee inspectors cited one driver for driving while his license was suspended. The driver also did not have a valid medical waiver, the report says.
During the same inspection, the Gaines bus was cited for “no or improper breakaway or emergency braking.”
As recently as March 7, the company was cited for having “no or defective automatic trailer brake,” and “no or improper safety chains or cables for full trailer.”
John Crawford, the driver of the bus, was seriously injured when the bus slammed into a tractor-trailer as heavy rain and snow was falling, according to the Colorado State Patrol. Eleven others aboard that bus had minor to moderate injuries and were taken to Aurora hospitals.
No charges or citations have been issued, Trooper Josh Lewis of the Colorado State Patrol said on Saturday. However, criminal charges are anticipated, Lewis said.
He said he does not know Crawford’s current condition.
The Aurora crash set off a chain reaction that involved another tour bus carrying the crew of a second band — country western duo Thompson Square — and a second tractor-trailer.
Twin Shadow is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based artist who had concerts scheduled for the Bluebird Theater in Denver on Friday and Saturday night. The Friday concert was canceled. Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, denverpost.com/coldcases or twitter.com/kirkmitchell