- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Authorities release new details on Orland I-5 crash that killed 10, injured 34
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The California Highway Patrol and the National Transportation Safety Board have released updates on a deadly Thursday evening wreck on Interstate 5 near Orland that involved a tour bus filled with high school students, a FedEx semi and a third vehicle.
The CHP's Willows Office said the crash left 10 dead and injured another 34.
“This was a horrific collision,” Glenn County Sheriff Larry Jones said in a Friday press conference.
The tour bus was carrying 43 students and three adult chaperones from the Los Angeles area, according to authorities.
Among the dead are the drivers of both the FedEx semi and the tour bus, several students and chaperones, officials reported.
Humboldt State University confirmed that the charter bus was filled with prospective students on their way to visit the campus for Friday's Spring Preview event.
The tour bus was part of a three-bus convoy, with the other two buses having arrived at Humboldt State by the time of the crash, according to National Transportation Safety Board member Mark Rosekind.
The names of all of those who died have not yet been released by authorities. Glenn County Undersheriff Rich Warren said the work of identifying the dead is continuing and has been made more challenging due to the burn injuries suffered by the victims.
NTSB sent Rosekind and a Washington, DC-based Go-Team of investigators, along with a Southern California investigator, to the scene. The main team arrived Friday afternoon.
Highway Safety Investigator Robert Accetta will serve as the investigator-in-charge, leading the multidisciplinary team of NTSB personnel.
The area of I-5 around the crash was closed throughout the night as investigators worked at the scene. Caltrans reported on Friday that the freeway had reopened.
The crash occurred at 5:40 p.m. Thursday in I-5's northbound lanes, north of the Highway 32 turnoff, according to Friday reports from the CHP and the NTSB.
The wreck involved a FedEx big rig – specifically, a 2007 Volvo semi pulling two trailers – along with a 2014 tour bus owned by Silverado Stages of San Luis Obispo and a 2013 Nissan Altima.
The Altima's driver, 53-year-old Bonnie Duran of Lake Tapps, Wash., sustained minor injuries in the wreck. The CHP said another person – who was not identified – was in the vehicle with Tapps and also had minor injuries.
The drivers of the FedEx truck and the tour bus remained unidentified on Friday afternoon, according to the CHP.
The FedEx big rig was traveling southbound on the interstate in the No. 2 lane, the CHP said. Tapps was traveling northbound in the No. 1 lane ahead of the tour bus, which was northbound in the No. 2 lane.
Officials said that, for reasons that are unknown, the FedEx truck left the roadway, crossed the 60-foot-wide center divider – which is lined with bushes, not a concrete median – and entered the northbound lanes.
There, the FedEx truck sideswiped the Nissan and collided head-on with the bus, with both the semi and bus going off the highway in an easterly direction, the CHP and NTSB said.
Upon impact between the big rig and bus there was an immediate explosion, and both vehicles were engulfed in flames, according to the CHP.
There were nine confirmed fatalities at the crash scene, with another person confirmed dead at UC Davis Medical Center, the CHP said.
In addition, there were 34 reported injuries, ranging from minor to major, authorities said.
The CHP said its investigation is ongoing, and is being carried out by the the Northern Division Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team and the Willows Area CHP office.
CHP officials said in a Friday multiagency press conference that they're not sure if the FedEx driver suffered a medical issue, if there was a mechanical failure or a collision on the other side of the highway that could have led to the fatal wreck.
The NTSB doesn't investigate all major highway incidents. However, as Rosekind said early Friday, before leaving Washington, DC. “We'll be on scene because we're interested in anything from this accident that could have some kind of national impact.”
He said they're going to determine why the crash happened and issue recommendations to prevent such accidents from happening in the future.
In a followup briefing from Red Bluff early Friday evening, Rosekind said the team will be looking at a variety of factors, including highway features and design, human performance and survival factors.
They'll be collecting evidence that includes everything from hardware to witness reports, he said.
“We're after the perishable information that's really only going to be available while we're here on scene,” he said.
Rosekind estimated NTSB investigators will be in Orland for the next one to two weeks, gathering factual information.
If, during that time, they find anything that needs to be addressed immediately, Rosekind said the NTSB will issue an urgent safety recommendation.
NTSB said its investigators will not determine the cause of the crash while at the scene. The agency anticipates its investigation will take months to complete.
The NTSB wants to hear from anyone who saw the crash. Rosekind said witnesses are urged to contact the agency at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and investigators will follow up.
Silverado Stages issued a Friday statement saying that it is helping authorities in gathering information regarding the crash.
“Our top priority is making sure that the injured are being cared for. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, their families and everyone affected by this accident,” the company said.
FedEx said it is cooperating fully with crash investigators.
On Friday, FedEx Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Frederick W. Smith expressed the company's sympathies and condolences to the victims' families.
“It will take some time to fully understand exactly how this accident occurred and why,” said Smith. “In the meantime, I want everyone to know that we at FedEx are committed to providing every resource necessary to assist investigators in their efforts to understand what happened.”
Gov. Jerry Brown issued a statement on the crash, noting, “Anne and I extend our heartfelt and deep sympathies to the families, friends and loved ones of those who died in the tragic accident near Orland this evening. As we mourn the loss of those who died, we join all Californians in expressing our gratitude for the tireless work of the Red Cross and emergency personnel who responded bravely to this terrible tragedy.”
Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), who represents Glenn County as well as a portion of Lake County in the US House of Representatives, praised the Orland community and first responders for their efforts to help the victims, and offered his support to the CHP and NTSB.
“As a Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I will continue to follow this tragedy closely. And as a father of six, I will keep these students, chaperones and families in my thoughts,” Garamendi said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.