Bus Crash Injures Driver, 11 in Prison Work Crew
JACKPOT, Nev. — A bus hauling a prison work crew crashed on U.S. 93, closing the highway for five hours Friday night.
Nevada Highway Patrol officials said the driver and 11 passengers sustained minor injuries in the accident, which occurred three miles south of the Nevada-Idaho border.
Troopers said the Nevada Division of Forestry bus was southbound on the highway about 4:40 p.m. when it went out of control, struck a bridge railing and guardrail, and rolled on its side.
The accident left both lanes of the highway blocked. The northbound lane did not reopen until 9:45 p.m. and the southbound lane did not reopen until 10:20 p.m.
The driver, Clay McCormick, 39, of Wells, suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital in Twin Falls, Ida., where he was treated and released.
The passengers, all Nevada State Prison inmates, were sent to hospitals in Twins Falls and Elko, where they were treated and returned to prison facilities.
Troopers said the failure of a rear wheel bearing caused McCormick’s initial loss of control. The failure caused the dual rear wheels of the bus to separate.
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