Victims Identified in Fatal I-10 Bus Crash

SACATON, Ariz. - DPS is releasing the names of the deceased and injured victims involved in the fatal bus crash last week, along with results of bus safety inspection.

It happened about 5:30 a.m. March 5 on I-10 in Sacaton, Ariz. The bus was traveling from Central Mexico to Los Angeles when it lost control and flipped over.

A DPS inspection of the Terra Santa Charter Bus found that both the vehicle and the drivers would have been placed out of service had they been stopped and questioned.

DPS found the bus was not adhering to strict federal guidelines.

- Not able to read and speak English sufficiently to converse with the general public

- Both the driver and the co-driver did not have a 7-day log of their driving

- 20 percent or more of the service brakes on the bus were defective

"Had they found anyone of those four, the bus would have been placed out of service. It would not have been allowed to continue," said DPS Sgt. Kevin Wood.

Wood says the 7-day driving log helps authorities track how long the driver was behind the wheel and how many breaks and rest time the driver took.

"By not having the logs for either the driver or co-driver, there is no way to tell what they did for 7 days before," he says.

Another of the requirements to drive a charter bus like that one is a grasp of the English language. "At some point you are going to become a hazard, if you don't understand what the signs say."

The victims

Driver Injured: Alfonso Alvarado, 66, Sonora, Mexico
Back-up Driver Injured: David Salazar, 24, California

Passengers Deceased
Eusebia Rios, 68
Nicanor Hernandez, 85
Hermelinda Hernandez, 54
Maria Refugio Garcia
Margarita Banuelos, 68
Margarita De Haro

Passengers Injured
Manuel De La Riva, 73,
Manuel Gonzalez, 70
Lauro Vargas, 50
Maribel Vargas, 42
Jazmin Vargas, 13
Manuela Roman
Higinio Fernandez, 73
Martin Rodriquez, 44
Claudia Rodriquez, 16
Oscar Rodriquez, 11
Teresa Lira, 53
Victor Lira, 23
Luis Ramos, 34
Jazmin Porras, 25