Twenty people were hospitalized, including three with major injuries, after a bus carrying teens back from a church camp overturned on a winding mountain road in Southern California, authorities said Monday.
According to The Associated Press, the crash occurred Sunday night on State Route 330 near Running Springs, about 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department. First responders found the bus on its side, with passengers escaping through a roof hatch.
“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 fire department said. The remaining passengers declined transportation. Photos showed paramedics attending to patients in a triage area on the highway, some wearing neck braces. There was no fire or hazardous material exposure.
The bus, carrying both adults and teens, was returning to Orange County after a three-day youth retreat at Camp Nawakwa near Angelus Oaks, said Jarryd Gonzales, spokesperson for the Diocese of Orange. About 125 participants from Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Santa Ana attended the event and were traveling home in several vans and the bus involved in the crash.
“We extend our deepest gratitude to the first-responder agencies for their prompt and professional response in safely evacuating passengers and ensuring they received proper medical attention,” Gonzales said.
State Route 330, a two-lane highway with curves along cliffs and forest areas at roughly 6,100 feet elevation, was closed in both directions during the investigation led by the California Highway Patrol.
