A bus carrying 36 people rolled over at a curve on State Hwy. 330 south of Running Springs last night, leading to a multi-casualty incident with over two dozen injuries, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
Dispatched just before 9 p.m., first-arriving crews arrived to find the bus on its side in a turnout, with subjects extricating themselves—including many through the vehicle’s roof hatch. The passengers, a mix of adults and teens, were traveling downhill on the way home to Orange County after attending a camp in the San Bernardino Mountains near Angelus Oaks.
County Fire resources quickly declared the incident an MCI, with firefighters and paramedics setting up triage protocols, a patient treatment area and an ambulance loading zone. Meanwhile, the CHP shut down the 330 in both directions to protect the scene.
A total of 26 patients, including three with major injuries, were treated. Of those, 20 were transported to area hospitals, all by ground ambulances. The balance of those on board declined EMS transport and/or treatment.
The passengers were children, families and staff members of Our Lady of Guadalupe, according to the Diocese of Orange. about 125 parishioners had been at a three-day parish retreat at Camp Nawakwa in the San Bernardino Mountains.
There was no fire or hazardous material exposure. No extrication operations were required.
Reportedly the brakes overheated on the bus and quit working. The driver then drove into the embankment to try to stop the the bus and it overturned. The brakes caught on fire and part of the group that was following the bus, put the fire out with water, bottles and sodas.
The response included 11 engine companies, 11 ambulances and four chief officers to the scene. California Highway Patrol is the lead agency investigating the cause of the incident.
This past February, S.B. County Fire initiated a major multi-agency MCI drill. The scenario featured an overturned school bus with adults and teens on board. Several of the rescures on scene last night participated in that drill, providing them with valuable experience in this kind of incident.
Coordination among multiple agencies helped get patients quickly on their way. The first patients were enroute to the ER within 15 minutes of the crews initiating the triage process, and by 10:30 p.m. all patients had been transported.